Whack a Moley by Bethan Clarke and Anders Frang - ESSENTIAL

Whack a Moley by Bethan Clarke and Anders Frang. PICTURE BOOK. Kane Miller, 2026. $16. 9781684646425

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Goat is ready to play a game, but when Mole suggests Tiddlywinks, Goat suggests Whack a Moley, which begins a hilarious back and forth between the two friends. Goat thinks this is very funny until Mole turns the table and makes Goat the object of the game. 

Whack a Moley is packed with rhymes and plays-on-words. The humor of the word play is delightful, as is the stealthy moral of treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves. The illustrations are bright and add visual whimsy to the dialogue.

Janae S., Reading Teacher

Lifesize Ocean Animals by Sophy Henn - ESSENTIAL

Lifesize Ocean Animals by Sophy Henn. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Kane Miller, 2026. $19. 9781684646449

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO:  MANY

Lifesize Ocean Animals is the newest addition to the Lifesize animal books by Sophy Renn. It is a larger than average picture book and comes with a fold out page to fit a giant spider crab. Kids will love this book! Containing hand drawn pictures and fascinating facts about creatures from the deep, I believe this will be a very popular book.

Lifesize Ocean Animals is a wonderful introduction for children to the world of sea creatures. The illustrations are drawn but contain attention to details. The readers will love comparing themselves to the size of the animals.

Janae S., Reading Teacher

The Farm Next Door by Kelly Rice Schmitt and Charles Santoso - OPTIONAL

The Farm Next Door by Kelly Rice Schmitt and Charles Santoso. PICTURE BOOK. Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), 2026. $19. 9780593703670

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Farmer Fran is a busy little bunny working hard on her farm. Then disaster strikes in the form of a giant storm. Farmer Fran doesn't know how to rebuild, but her friends and customers do. They host a community fundraiser which leads to an even better farm than before.

Schmitt introduces us  to economics for young children. Farmer Fran sells her produce and uses the profit to buy what she needs. The back of the book has a short glossary, explanation, and discussion questions. A great addition to any elementary unit on money. Animal characters

Janae S., Reading Teacher

Indigo Hands by Sita Singh and Maithili Joshi - ADVISABLE

Indigo Hands by Sita Singh and Maithili Joshi. PICTURE BOOK. Anne Schwartz Books  (Random House), 2026. $19. 9780593569740

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

A young Indian girl named Neela is excited that today her grandfather Dadu will take her to his indigo studio where he turns white cloth into fabric of brilliant blue. In the studio, the white cloth looks an ugly green.  How will science work and turn it blue? Will her hands turn blue like Dadu?

Indigo Hands is a heartwarming story about family and tradition.  Joshi's illustrations were sweet, colorful, and interesting.

PGPowers

The Umbrella by Sylvia Walker. - ADVISABLE

The Umbrella by Sylvia Walker.  PICTURE BOOK. Simon & Shuster, 2026. $20. 9781665984157

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Zora is soaring high on her favorite swing when it begins to rain.  Zora notices an umbrella under a bench at the park.  A young boy asks her if he can join her.  Then two more kids want to join as well.  Zora includes more and more kids with the umbrella magically getting bigger each time.  All of a sudden the umbrella blows away in the wind.  Will Zora and her new friends be able to find it?

The Umbrella is a cute, magical story about the value of friendship, and working together.  I liked Walker's illustrations and colorful and expressive illustrations.

The young boys and girls of this book are of many ethnicities.

PGPowers

Acacia: A Rapunzel Tale by JaNay Brown-Wood and John Joven - ADVISABLE

Acacia: A Rapunzel Tale by JaNay Brown-Wood and John Joven. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2026. $18. 9781623543686.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL (4-6)  – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL

A twist on the classic fairy tale of Rapunzel, Acacia is a young Black girl stuck in a tower. Her long braided hair is the only way in & out. One day, another young Black girl, Mahogany in her signature red riding hood, comes along to help Acacia escape from her isolation and the wicked witch Ma Gothel.

I liked this retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale featuring two Black young protagonists. It was a great way to celebrate Black identity through hair and personal expression. I think it would be a great addition to your fairy tale bookshelf. It’s a sequel of sorts to the 2024 picture book Mahogany, a retelling of Red Riding Hood.

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes 

Sweetpea Magee: Mermaid Expert by Rhian Wright - ADVISABLE

 

Sweetpea Magee:  Mermaid Expert by Rhian Wright. PICTURE BOOK. Quarto Publishing Group, 2026. $19. 9781836009504

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Daydreamer Sweetpea Magee claims to be the world's ultimate mermaid expert.  She tells us that Mermaids are everywhere.  She says there are sea mermaids, pond mermaids, river mermaids, pool mermaids, and many more.  She knows all about each one and takes us on a journey to find the only one that she has never seen, the cave mermaid.  On our way we run into ogres and witches and other scary creatures.  Will Sweetpea keep us safe as we travel, and will we ever meet the cave mermaid?

Wright encourages the reader to have great adventures through imaginative play.  I was delighted with the humorous story and playful illustrations.

PGPowers

Sunrise Sail by Charles Trevino and Maribel Lechuga - ADVISABLE

Sunrise Sail by Charles Trevino and Maribel Lechuga. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2026. $18. 9781623546151

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

A boy and his grandfather set sail for an early morning sail and an all day adventure.

The author only uses words starting with “S”, so each page only has a few words on it. The story isn’t really about the sailing, but about the adventure of the whole day. Do I believe that the dog could accomplish what it did? No - but I won’t give it away. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Piggy by Ann Hood and Anna Quaranta - ADVISABLE

Piggy by Ann Hood and Anna Quaranta. PICTURE BOOK. Penguin, 2026. $19. 9798217051052

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Piggy has been with its human for a long time. Piggy has been on lots of adventures and many times through the washing machine until it is --- beautiful.

A nice homage to stuffy friends who go through so much with their human friends. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Safari Animals by Gideon Sterer and Marcos Farina - OPTIONAL

Safari Animals by Gideon Sterer and Marcos Farina. BOARD BOOK. Grosset & Dunlap (Penguin), 2026. $10. 9780593753583

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

As the reader turns each page, more of three animals appear in turn.

I would have liked fewer pages per animal and more animals, please!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Under the Clam Moon by Kaitlyn Wells and Mariyah Rahman. - OPTIONAL

Under the Clam Moon by Kaitlyn Wells and Mariyah Rahman. PICTURE BOOK. Roaring Brook (Macmillan), 2026. $19. 9781250341198

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

A little girl and her uncle are looking for clams along the beach while her mother and little brother wait by a fire for the feast.

The idea of clamming at night is fun, but the girl and her uncle have only one clam for their work, which is very disappointing to me. Also, in the back matter, whoever wrote it uses the word “eatable” instead of “edible” - why? As pretty as Rahman’s illustrations are, I would have enjoyed watching a more successful clamming, rather than watch the girl make mistake after mistake.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Wake Up, Grouchy Bear! by David Ezra Stein - ADVISABLE

Wake Up, Grouchy Bear! by David Ezra Stein. PICTURE BOOK. Clarion (Harper), 2026. $20. 9780063382664

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The other animals are excited for Bear to wake up, so they decide to go to his den and help him. They try everything they can think of, but nothing seems to be working.

I love the animals’ creativity and patience when it comes to waking Bear. A lovely ode to a coming spring.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS