BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Follow the little puppy as it explores the neighborhood.
Each page, including the cover, has a textured piece to touch and feel. It also has a QR code to a site that will read the book aloud - though it will be more fun for an adult and child to read together. Short and simple. Maybe you can replace Pat the Bunny?
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
Meet five critters around the house and hear their noises!
I am in love with this book! The sounds it makes are the real thing - enough that my cats pricked up their ears and looked for the critter. You can also turn the sound off - though I think a child will probably be able to figure out the mechanism quickly.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
Ruth Asawa grew up on a farm in California. During WWII she and her Japanese family were imprisoned in a relocation camp in Arkansas. She was able to leave the prison and go to college. Her art was influenced by her travels and life experiences.
A beautifully illustrated and well written book about an artist who had to constantly fight for herself and for her art. She accomplished a great many things in spite of her many trials.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
The life cycle of a rock from millions of years ago to the present. The rock starts its life on the side of a volcano then makes its way through the stages of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic stages.
Bright illustrations bring the rock cycle to life. The back matter includes further information and sources.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Ella and her extended family gather for a big family BBQ. The best part about the day for Ella is playing with her cousins. Together they play baseball, dress up, and eat lots of good food.
An energetic and engaging story about family time. The illustrations are fun and very bright, almost neon. Cousins play and sometimes argue but there is always a lot of love.
The family is multicultural.
Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Lizzy wants to rock and roll and dance, but her spider parents are all about serious, formal music. She takes matters into her own hands and invites creatures from all over to join her for a music celebration.
I like Lizzy and I like the aesthetic of Rauers’s illustrations. I do not like the long rhyming text on every page. Couplets are the least interesting rhyme scheme available. I can understand wanting to feel like a song, but rhyming couplets are not it.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Don’t know what you want to be for Halloween? Join the Peas and explore many ideas for costumes and then join the trick or treating fun.
Baker gives us so many costume ideas and the peas are, as always, adorable.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Proper Badger may have stepped onto the wrong bus, but he is very happy to head to school. He is dressed in his best and is sure that he has all of the PROPER manners for school. There's no way that he, a Proper Badger, could have done all of the naughty things the other kids said he did.
Glattly and Sayegh give a tour through many of the things a naughty badger, or child, can get up to in school - including having an “accident” in the cubbies (gross, but not unheard of). Fun to witness antics through Badger’s eyes, while discussing what is wrong and what is right about such behavior at school.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Detective Cluehound is ready to dive into his bucket of Halloween candy when a Witch sneaks in and snatches it away. He is off on the chase with his sidekick Squirrel, who seems to be following the clues better than Cluehound does.
The end was my favorite part. Watching Cluehound bumble his away through his chase was secondary to that.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Join the Haunted House as the inhabitants get ready for a great Halloween season!
Instead of pulling tabs, you need to shake the book (it says that on the cover) in order to find the hidden characters. The directions inside the book are “Say Trick-or-Treat”, instead of reminding you to shake and all of the hidden characters appear each time you shake. But the illustrations are charming.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Little Dinosaur wants to find some new friends, but he needs to be careful not to wake up Big Dino. Little Dino has some setbacks along the way, but is always willing to learn.
Welcome to the 9th book in Fletcher’s series. I like the gentle emphasis on learning manners.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
When Bob the snail gets stomped on, instead of a dead smear, he becomes a vampire snail! Being a vampire snail is not easy. None of his traditional favorites taste good any more, but the wings are pretty cool. None of the other snails want anything to do with him any more and Bob is worried that he will always be alone.
I adored watching Bob setting into his new life. Zuill has even included a tiny beetle side character added some tidbits and some snark. Bob is funny rather than being scary. And he isn’t necessarily only Halloween relatable. Make sure you check out the case wrap.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Elys takes the familiar “This Little Piggy” and transforms it into a Halloween story that encompasses all ten toes.
The cute monsters and the sweet ending make this a fun Halloween remake for those that like their classics with a spooky twist. It would be worth it to memorize the new lines to play with all of those cute baby toes.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
I was hoping for a book to share with friends who are visually impaired, but this book is not that. the bright visuals are engaging, and the cut outs do add a nice touch for those who enjoy a tactile interaction. The only two-page spread that would be understandable by a child with vision loss is the spiky/smooth page.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Daisy is so happy to see the sun, the bee, the wind, until something happens and the world goes suddenly dark. What could be the problem?
Grenier has a cute message of picking up your trash along with the adorable daisy main character. The simple words would also be easy for a little one to “read” along.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Take your finger and trace your way through a journey of calming movement.
I wish the book was one that opened all of the way up, instead of having to turn the pages, in order to have uninterrupted movement along the path. And as you turn each page, you have to find the start, as they don’t line up. Maybe I’m nitpicking?
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
As much as I like the illustrations and the sentiment, trying to sing the song to the traditional O Tannenbaum is a non-starter.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
My favorite of the Spring Street touch and trace books - the shapes make sense as you trace their sides. Great for a sight-impaired student or someone who likes texture.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Little Witch Cat is getting ready to celebrate Halloween with her friends.
Chronicle has a wide variety of finger puppet books - more than 50 of them. I‘m going to go through them to choose the ones that speak to me. The verse on each spread is short, but the story makes sense. The finger puppet is the star of the reading, of course.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Who keeps the buses, subways, and planes running smoothly? It's not just the bus drivers, subways operators, and pilots. It takes a whole crew to keep the transit system safe, repaired, managed, and improving.
On one spread, the author asks, with a pair of rhyming couplets, who keeps a specific type of vehicle going, and then on the next spread, the author answers with a trio of couplets that introduce other members of the team, such as mechanics, signal maintainers, and air traffic controllers. The colorful, digital illustrations show several examples of each featured vehicle, including multiple passengers, followed by a scene with the other team members. I can imagine young vehicle enthusiasts pouring over the illustrations (each spread contains lots to notice, count, and compare) while enjoying the engaging rhyming rhythm of the text. They will also learn many vehicle-related vocabulary words. However, I don't think they'll be able to access the text on their own, and they may prefer a vehicle book with photographs. The illustration style of this book reminds me of non-fiction books by Gail Gibbons.
P.K.Foster, MLS, Elementary School Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
While Poppy is playing with her Bunny stuffy, the bunny's dress rips. Afraid she’ll have to throw away the dress, her mom leads Poppy to a box of fabric scraps. They spend time naming different patterns and reminiscing about the scraps’ origins. The paisley scrap came from grandpa’s tie, for example, and a chevron scrap came from auntie’s scarf. Then mom takes out her measuring tape and sewing machine and creates a new, multi-patterned dress for both Poppy and her stuffy.
The author includes familiar fabric patterns ((stripes, polka dots, camouflage) and less familiar ones (shibori, toile de Jouy, ankara) both through the story and on the Pattern Library at the end. Fabric arts are not often the subject of a picture book and I learned some new terminology myself. Readers will encounter familiar fabric patterns ((stripes, polka dots, camouflage) and less familiar ones (shibori, toile de Jouy, ankara) both through the story and in the Pattern Library at the end.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
Poppy and her mom are Black
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
Adela loves her family’s mariachi band—the music, dancing, clapping, shouting (“los gritos”). She happily shouts right back, until she remembers the one fact about it that she doesn’t love—she’s not in it. As she tries each element of the performance for herself, she cannot blow or pluck or swirl as her family members can and worries it will take too long to be good enough. She wants to be part of the band now. As she listens and sighs through yet another performance without her, she watches her tia rush to the front before the last song finishes and is struck with an idea. Los gritos! Adela finds a way to contribute right now to something she loves even while realizing it will take time to develop the skills needed to participate in other ways.
The illustrator does a good job depicting Adela’s big feelings on the page through her facial expressions and body postures. The reader will also learn about the different elements of a mariachi band and will relate to Adela’s experience of trying but failing to replicate the sounds and movements of her family members who are the musicians and dancers. An author’s note includes more details about the instruments and costumes. She also mentions how her grandfather and uncle were members of a mariachi group in Utah.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
With stylized illustrations and Tsalagi (Cherokee) dialogue throughout, Sorell tells a common sports story about an uncommon sport. Vann is bigger and slower than his teammates. While his team is getting water during a timeout, Vann remembers his missed shot in the previous game, which they lost, and reenters the game worried. After he misses another shot and the other team ties the game, Vann has the ball again when he remembers the coach telling them they must work together. He passes the ball to his friend Jesse who scores and wins the game.
Sorrel’s story depicts a ceremonial version of stickball where boys play girls who follow a different set of rules, such as not having sticks but being allowed to use their hands to catch, carry, and shoot the ball, and to block or stop opponents. The author also includes another endnote about the Tsalagi language and efforts being made to keep it alive. Readers not familiar with the Cherokee nation will get a valuable glimpse into another culture though I wish the story was more compelling. Only after reading the About Stickball endnote do I realize that 1) the team in red (as opposed to Vann’s team in blue) are all girls, and 2) the red team does not have any sticks.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Max shares how he can’t roll his Rs when trying to speak Spanish so he doesn’t even like to try. His ridiculing cousins don’t help. Every Sunday he and his abuela, who doesn’t speak English, cook together with the help of Lorito, a squawking, bilingual parrot who knows all the recipes and encourages Max to try. “Tú sí puedes!” When it is time to cook tres leches for the county fair, Lorito is not around to help, so Max steps up and helps his grandma in Spanish.
Alderman and Galotta depict the language barrier that often exists (and portrayed in many picture books) between the generations of recent immigrant families. This book does not stand out from the crowd either through the power of the story nor the quality of the illustrations but would be a solid addition if your collection needs a story like this. The endnotes include an author’s note about his son who struggles with Spanish though the author is bilingual, a glossary of several Spanish words used in the story, and a recipe for arroz con leche.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Tate loves animals—especially wild ones. When she starts worrying about them, out in the cold possibly lonely, scared, or hungry, she decides to rescue one. She writes a letter to Lion offering a warm home, bath, and best friend (herself). She adds a P.S. about how he won’t have to hunt because she’ll feed him with a bowl of food fit for a king. Lion replies by declining the invitation for very specific reasons, starting with how no more hunting sounds terrible! So begins Tate’s tenacious efforts to convince a wild animal to live with her, writing a new P.S. to appeal specifically to each animal but which each animal has sound reasons for refusing. After many rejections, she begins noticing the pure joy wild animals display in their natural habitats and among their own kind. Just as she gives up on her idea, she receives an unsolicited letter from exactly the animal BFF she’s been looking for.
The proffer and rejection of her hospitality for specific reasons by each animal teaches young readers several animal facts as well as showing them how to dismiss an unfeasible suggestion with clear reasoning. Teachers could use this story to teach either this important critical-thinking skill or letter-writing skills. The illustrations amp up the engagement for independent readers in a couple ways. Observant readers will notice a picture clue about what animal Tate is writing to next, which is not clearly revealed through the words until you turn the page. They can also find her ultimate animal companion on each spread.
Tate is portrayed as a dark-skinned, tooth-gapped girl with big eyes and wavy hair cropped above her shoulders.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO:SEVERAL
What do Sneetches do on beaches? After swimming and playing all day, they do what they like most—they have a Sneetch Beach Hot Dog Roast. This story features the Seuss characters Sneetches enjoying a day on the beach, culminating with a bonfire and roasting hot dog and marshmallows, all told in classic Seuss-like rhymes.
Even if young readers are not familiar with Sneetches, the setting and rhythm of this story will delight them.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO:SEVERAL
Gym class is starting and Coach divides the students—ducklings and dodos—into two teams for a game of dodgeball. A new student—a chick—enters the gym and prefers to read a book in the corner. After warming up, the balls start flying. As dodos dodge and ducklings duck, Chick gathers up pieces of a bench, chair, and trophy shelf broken during the game and creates a box library out of them. At the end of class, Chick presents each student and Coach with a book of their own from the box library.
Told in rhymes and illustrated with cute, colorful cartoony pictures, sometimes featuring speech bubbles, this story has some logical conundrums. Why would Coach let a new student sit out of that day’s activity? How does Chick build a box library so quickly with no visible tools, and where do all the books inside the box come from? On the other hand, the illustrations are delightful!
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO:MANY
Told with just a few words in large print on each page, alternating between an unseen narrator on the one hand and dialogue in speech bubbles on the other, Nat the Cat builds a snack for himself but then Pat the Rat shows up and wants Nat to share.
The initial reluctance to share will feel familiar to young readers, while the resolution will surprise and delight them. The simplicity of the text in such a clever, entertaining story is a rare combination and I would snatch this one up (as well as the other Nat the Cat stories) for my earliest readers.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
Special adaptations of ten animals are presented on two spreads each and illustrated with art that was created with acrylic paint and ink and then manipulated and collaged digitally. Some of the adaptations are more commonly known, such as a barn owl’s supersensitive hearing, a dog’s sense of smell, and an electric eel’s electrical charge. Some are less so, such as a pea-sized jellyfish that can regenerate into several new jellyfish after being wounded, a shrimp that can kill its prey with a very speedy and very loud bubble, and an opossum that has anti-venom in its veins that protects it from snake attacks.
Teachers and readers will enjoy the fun facts, for sure, but the pictures may be somewhat less engaging. They are not crisp enough to stand in well as a substitute for photographs and not bold enough to imbue the book with comic-book energy. Back matter includes information about how each of the featured animals will be affected by human activities and selected sources.
P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
The little witch is getting ready for bed.
I admit I am not a fan of the original version. This version absolutely delights my Halloween-loving heart.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
The boy has missed his bus. As other buses come by, he sees that they are for other passengers and he hopes that a bus that will help him will finally come by.
While the cover bus looks pretty “normal”, the buses are a delightful mix of whimsy.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
The Alpha family are eating dinner and then getting ready for bed.
Hill and Snyder pack a lot onto the pages of a small board book. I do like that it gives you four times to run through the alphabet.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
Meet several dinosaurs from different periods as you explore the pages with your magnifying glass. Each two-page spread has a pretend exploration going on with interesting and sometimes funny scenes. The side matter has specific scenes for the reader to find, with added information. I would suggest if you are putting this out for students that you find a way to anchor the magnifying glass to the book, though.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: MANY
Finan gives us a wonderful ode to the banana. You might have to memorize the rhyming text so that you can sing it out exuberantly as a song. Some of the pages have cut outs which are a lot of fun to peep through.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Tiny T. Rex is ready for school - or is he? Along the way that first day he makes several “oopsies”, but his teacher helps him see how much he has also learned.
A comforting book for those who think that making a mistake is absolutely the worst thing that could happen. Parents and teachers and friends all need to work together to help everyone remember that mistakes are important because that is also how we learn. Tiny T. Rex now has 6 books.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Content: PG (slavery, war, racism mentioned)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Jorge, Camila, and Siggy spend Monday afternoons with their Tia Xia. Together they embark on a time traveling adventure. In 1862, the United States was fighting the Civil War and Mexico was fighting off an invasion by France. The cousins must avoid capture, fight the bad guys, and save their aunt before finding their own way back home.
For those readers who have only ever had a vague understanding about what Cinco de Mayo actually celebrates, for children who identify as Latino but are struggling to understand their heritage, or for lovers of historical fiction, this book is eye and heart opening.
The family is Latino with varying skin shades and hair textures.
J. Smith, Teacher Librarian
BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Meet ten dinosaurs in this cute, simple touch and feel book. Six of the textures are fun to touch - the other four are smooth.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
It's time to make pancakes! Don’t trust your young one in the kitchen - that’s ok. You can make pancakes with your imagination and with this book.
Nieminen now has six interactive cookbooks, including pizza and cake. And if you want, you could follow the recipe and cook pancakes IRL, too.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
The Mouse and Spoon bakery has a huge order for Elephant’s birthday party. The Mice will all have to work together in order to get all the cakes baked in time.
Mice bakers are very cute. Rylant has three books in the Mice and Spoon series now. It is a cute early Reader option.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Suki is ready for a day on the farm. Join her as she helps the cows and fixes things.
Suki has a variety of adventures to choose from. The books have sturdy tabs that are fun to push and pull.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
Also available in Spanish, translated by Carlos E. Calvo, 9781623544584
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Nana loves living with her extended family and she loves her little dog, Popo. One day Nana and Popo head out on a journey.
Lopez and Matias take us through an emotional journey through the nine levels of Mictlan, the Indigenous Mexican journey to the afterlife. I don’t know how much elementary talks about death traditions, which is the only reason I didn’t rate this as more necessary. It seems like a beautiful tradition.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
Avant-Grade and Yangni have an explosion of color and words celebrating those who are called “weird” by those who don’t understand. While I don't usually like the plethora of “feel good" picture books out, I do love Yangni’s exuberant artwork. The pages also have quotes from colorful characters from throughout history.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
