Grumpy Monkey: School Stinks! by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang - ADVISABLE

Grumpy Monkey: School Stinks! by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang, 82 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Random House, 2025 $11. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Grumpy monkey, aka Jim Panzee, is playing hide-and-seek when he decides to hide in Polecat's log. He gets sprayed and becomes a stinky, grumpy monkey. His friends remind him that if he'd gone to school he would have known better, so Grumpy Monkey enrolls in school. 

The art is colorful and grand and the humor delivers. The theme of school is relatable and students may see themselves in Grumpy Monkey's experiences with it. The theme of learning from one's mistakes is a bonus in this entertaining read. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Not Just the Driver by Sara Holly Ackerman and Robert Neubecker - OPTIONAL

Not Just the Driver by Sara Holly Ackerman, illustrated by Robert Neubecker. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane Books (Simon), 2024. $19. 9781665936378

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

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 vehicle going, and then on the next spread, 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 full of 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, teacher-librarian

Orris and Timble: Lost and Found by Kate DiCamillo and Carmen Mok - ADVISABLE

Orris and Timble: Lost and Found by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Carmen Mok, 80 pages.  CHAPTER BOOK Candlewick, 2025. $17  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Orris the rat and Timble the owl are friends. Orris likes to tell his friend stories that he has found, but one night Timble doesn't return. Orris is devastated. He wonders if Timble has deserted him or if something bad has happened. 

 This is book two in a future trilogy. The writing and art work well together. The story is brief, yet haunting and works on our fears of ending friendships or events we can't control. Timble grows older and bigger and wants to try out his wings. Beautifully written by a master storyteller about friendship, getting lost, coming home, and sharing stories. 

 Michelle in the Middle

Eliza and the Flower Fairies by Megan McDonald and Lenny Wen - ADVISABLE

Eliza and the Flower Fairies (Fairy Door Diaries) by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Lenny Wen. 88 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2025. $18. 9781536201420

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Eliza, a little school girl, hurries home everyday to her private play house where she imagines a fairy world. She has built a Fairy Door, and one day she is pulled through by the flower fairies' magic. Eliza delights in the beauty of their land but doesn't understand the boundaries and creates a rift into Strangleweed Swallow. Eliza must visit Witch Hazel to repair the damage she has done. Can she do it quickly enough to save her new fairy friend, Poppy?

"Fairy Door Diaries" is a wonderful first chapter book for little girls in love with the pretend world of fairies. Exactly the land a girl would imagine, filled with adventure and danger, and friends who help us be brave, this gorgeously illustrated book is a great first chapter book for developing readers.

J. Smith, Teacher Librarian

Earhart: The Incredible Flight of a Field Mouse Around the World by Torben Kuhlmann - ADVISABLE

Earhart: The Incredible Flight of a Field Mouse Around the World by Torben Kuhlmann, 128 pages PICTURE BOOK North South, 2025. $22. 9780735845794  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

A little field mouse discovers that there is so much more to the world beyond her garden and the limited view of her fellow field mice. She wants to fly around the world! She finds a learned old mouse aviator who helps her with her dream, and maybe, the little mouse can inspire Amelia Earhart's aviation career. 

The size of the book makes it a picture book, though the text can be dense at times, so not a picture book in the traditional sense. The cover art is so realistic, I neglected to see the small mouse, and thought it was nonfiction at first. That said, the artwork is breathtaking. The artwork tells a lot of the story. This is the fifth book in a mouse series that has been published in 30 languages. It's worth a look-see if only for the art and the theme of following your dream no matter how unlikely. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Once Upon my Dads' Divorce by Seamus Kirst and Noemie Gionet Landry - OPTIONAL

Once Upon my Dads' Divorce by Seamus Kirst, illustrated by Noemie Gionet Landry. PICTURE BOOK. Magination Press, 2023. $19. 9781433840746

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Grayson lives in a big brick house with his two dads.  He loves having chocolate chip pancakes with his dads on Saturdays and reading bedtime stories together.  Grayson's life will never be the same when his two dads decide to get a divorce.  Will he ever get used to his new life split between two homes?

With colorful illustrations and a minimal amount of words, Once Upon My Dads' Divorce may help those going through a similar situation.  Included in the back is a Reader's Note with tips from a psychologist about how to help children cope with divorce.   This book offers answers and reassurance to children who are going through this difficult time.

Grayson is white.  One of his dads is black and the other is white.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

The Froggies Do Not Want to Sleep by Adam Gustavson - ADVISABLE

The Froggies Do Not Want to Sleep by Adam Gustavson. BOARD BOOK Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2025. $9. 9781623546816 

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Frogs do NOT want to sleep! They would much rather hop and joust, and fly spaceships to distant galaxies. Or they may want to play the accordion and have a burping contest. But they do NOT want to sleep! 

The art is awesome, and the froggies delightful, which makes this a cute bedtime read for small children who would rather play than sleep. 

 

Michelle in the Middle 

Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelo, illustrated by Hatem Aly - ESSENTIAL

Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelo, illustrated by Hatem Aly. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Random House Children's Books, 2023. $19. 9781984848093

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

On Muhamad's seventh birthday, he is given a salat rug to use for his daily prayers. He washes  his face and hands before he prays. Muhammad takes his salat rug to school the next day for his prayers, but he is afraid others will not accept him if they see him at prayer. He watches his father stop and pray at the appointed times without being embarrassed by what others think. Muhamad wishes he could be brave also. That night, his father lets him practice praying with him on the city streets. It gives him courage to live what he has been taught.

Bigelow teaches about the Muslim tradition of salat while demonstrating the anxiety faced by children as they learn to follow the faith of their fathers.  Aly is able to show Muhamad's emotions in his brightly colored illustrations. The Muslim terms at the end of the book help the reader to better understand the story. It is a great book to teach others about the Muslim faith.

Muhamad is Muslim.

MOMMAC

Are We There Yet? The First Road Trip Across the USA by Stacy McAnulty and Elizabeth Baddeley - ADVISABLE

Are We There Yet? The First Road Trip Across the USA by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION Margaret K. McElderry (Simon and Schuster), 2025. $20. 9781665937474 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

This is a true story about a Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, who bet $50 he could drive a horseless carriage across the USA from California to New York in less than three months. Pretty gutsy, since he didn't even know how to drive and there were no highways. He hires a bike racer for his mechanic and finds a bulldog along the way and they are off. Two other teams more experienced teams start out from California and the race is on! 

For kids who can't imagine life without a car, this is a fascinating read. I don't know that I would undertake this adventure even in a good car without gas stations and a cell phone. The print is small for younger readers, but the pictures make up for it. The fun facts at the end are a must read, and the timeline and map help. This book made me want to learn more about Dr. Jackson and his trip. It would be fun to recreate it. Entertaining and informative! Dr. Jackson is white. 

Michelle in the Middle

Lost Words: An Armenian Story of Survival and Hope by Leila Boukarim and Sona Avedikian - ADVISABLE

Lost Words: An Armenian Story of Survival and Hope by Leila Boukarim, illustrated by Sona Avedikian. BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Chronicle Books, 2024. $19. 9781797213651

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

It was a normal day for Michael until his mother grabbed him, sewed gold buttons into his coat, and sent him away with neighbors. That is when he began to have no words. He walked across a dessert for what seemed months. Michael arrived at a safe place with those who had survived the walk. Still there were no words. Michael grew up and had his own family. For many years, there were no words.

This sweet story of family love, as viewed from the eyes of a child who experienced the Armenian genocide that started in 1915, reminds us that many people cannot find words to express traumatic events. Actual family histories from both the author and the illustrator echo the current need of millions of refugees around the world. The author includes a website that provides information on how to help refugees. It is obvious a lot of love went into the telling of this story.

MOMMAC

Who Ate Steve? by Susannah Lloyd and Kate Hindley - OPTIONAL

Who Ate Steve? by Susannah Lloyd, illustrated by Kate Hindley.  PICTURE BOOK Nosy Crow (Candlewick), 2024. $18 9798887771311 

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The narrator of this book is teaching about size, comparing a big bird named Marcel, to a small worm named Steve. Marcel keeps trying to eat Steve, until something even bigger comes along and eats Marcel.  

Cute story along the lines of "I Want My Hat Back," and "We Don't Eat our Classmates." It doesn't quite reach that level, but it's definitely worth a read. The art is fun and engaging and it does meet it's goal teaching about size in a roundabout manner. 

Michelle in the Middle 

If You Get Lost by Nikki Loftin, illustrated by Deborah Marcero - OPTIONAL

If You Get Lost by Nikki Loftin, illustrated by Deborah Marcero. PICTURE BOOK. Random House Children's Books, 2023. $19. 9780593375310

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

A little bunny becomes lost. He looks up and down and in and out and around. His listens. He meets a new friend. He finds that lost can be a finding. He learns to let go of the lost feeling and finds joy.

Loftin tries to teach children not to be afraid of being lost, both physically and emotionally. But, I found the advice given a bit dangerous as the bunny searches the area and finds a friend and "lets go" of the lost feeling. A better option would have been to teach the child to stay put and hold on to things that he knows and have faith that he would be found. The illustrations are beautiful. 

MOMMAC