Puggle Snuggles by Mo O’Hara and Loretta Schauer - ESSENTIAL

Puggle Snuggles by Mo O’Hara and Loretta Schauer. PICTURE BOOK. Happy Yak (Quarto), 2026. $19. 9781836007326

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

During the day all of the diurnal baby animals are busy, but the platypus baby (a puggle) is sleeping away the light.  Once night arrives, however, the puggle is wide awake and not alone in its antics as the nocturnal babies start to play.

O’Hara teaches us all kinds of baby animal names and treats us to pages of bright illustrations and funny scenes. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Dad by Christian Robinson - ESSENTIAL

Dad by Christian Robinson. PICTURE BOOK Balzer/Bray (HarperCollins), 2026. $20. 9781250397041 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Animal dads interact with their young. Human fathers do too. 

What a sweet book about fathers. An appendix describes the fathering skills of the different animals. The illustrations are beautiful. I loved when it shifted to human children and their dads. Easy read for an early reader. Not only informative but poignant. The human dads and kids are mixed races. 

Lisa Librarian 

What a Small Cat Needs by Natalia Shaloshvili, translated from Russian by Lena Traer - optIONAL

What a Small Cat Needs by Natalia Shaloshvili, translated from Russian by Lena Traer. PICTURE BOOK Enchanted Lion, 2026. $18. 9781592704774 

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

APPEALS TO: SOME 

There are a lot of things a small cat needs - eyes and ears and a tail and the ability to catch food and a place to live, but there is so much more than just those basics. 

What a sweet story - not a conflict resolution so much as a long description of a sweet cat and how it gets by. Maybe not for everyone, there's not a lot of story to it. 

Lisa Librarian

What Hedgehog Likes Best: Rhymes for Children - OPTIONAL

What Hedgehog Likes Best: Rhymes for Children by Erwin Moser. PICTURE BOOK. NorthSouth Books, 2023. $15. 9780735845176

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

So many animals who like so many different things. Learn about the likes of cute animals throughout the world through rhyme.

Cute illustrations are matched with average rhymes about many different animals. The overall effect is underwhelming leaving the reader with not much to connect to or remember.

AEB

Rocket Finds an Egg by Elle Stephens, illustrated by Grace Hills - ESSENTIAL

Rocket Finds an Egg by Elle Stephens, illustrated by Grace Hills, 32 pages. EARLY READER. Random House, 2022. $15.99.

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Rocket, a white dog with black spots, and his friend Bella, a squirrel, find an egg while playing in the meadow and want to find its home. They ask Owl, a bluebird, the little yellow bird, a bird with spots, different colored birds, a chicken, and a duck, but the egg belongs to none of them. Just as they are about to give up, they run into the egg’s owner and help get the egg back into its nest.

This early reader has only a sentence or two per page, printed in a large font, which makes it perfect for those students just starting to read independently. The text is predictable enough, and the pictures provide enough visual clues, to help a young reader keep moving forward even if they get stuck on a word here or there. If you have students who already love Rocket, they’ll love this book, too. Either way, this book is a valuable addition to any early reader collection. The story is simple yet logical and encourages a young reader to make predictions and be curious about whose egg it is, which will keep them reading to the end, a desirable outcome for any book.

Reviewer: P.K. Foster, MLS, elementary school teacher-librarian

The Sun Shines on the Sea by Michael Slack - ESSENTIAL

The Sun Shines on the Sea by Michael Slack. BOARD BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2021. $10. 9781536215694.

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Beginning with the sun heating up the ocean, the reader follows the food chain from the phytoplankton on up to the larger creatures like sharks and whales. As the chain moves on, readers can lift flaps to see which animals (ex. sharks) have eaten smaller creatures (ex. tuna). 

I really enjoyed this early introduction to a basic earth sciences concept. The illustrations are well done and the story isn't boring but not overtly flashy, either. This is a great choice for Pre-K audiences--especially those showing an early interest in science and the marine world. 

Reviewer: TC

This Book Has Alpacas and Bears by Emma Perry and Rikin Parekh - ESSENTIAL

This Book Has Alpacas and Bears by Emma Perry and Rikin Parekh. PICTURE BOOK. David Fickling Books (Scholastic), 2020. $7. 9781338635706

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Alfonso the alpaca loves reading, but he begins to notice that while there are lots of books starring bears there are no books about alpacas. Alfonso sets out to write his own alpaca story but needs help from his friend, Colin. Colin is a bear and needs a little convincing that alpacas are cool enough to have their own book. In the end, we have a lovely meta moment when the reader discovers the book they are reading is the book Alfonso wrote--and he has plans for much more!

This was a wonderful story that had my kids laughing out loud. I like the subtle message about representation being important, and there's also a great bit about recognizing your own value. There are lots of great messages in this book but kids might just love it for the humor and illustrations. Either way, this one is a win-win!

Reviewer: TC

Whose Baby is This? By Stephanie Babin, Illustrated by Camille Tisserand - ESSENTIAL

Whose Baby is This? By Stephanie Babin, Illustrated by Camille Tisserand. BOARD BOOK, ACTIVITY BOOK Twirl, 2020. $15. 9782408023898 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre K - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

A full and busy page of an environment with both adults and babies but they aren’t always together. The Babies have a “clue” about who they belong to. On the opposite page there are windows which, when slid, reveal the parent. Also, we learn the name of the baby (like an otter baby is a pup).

Environments include pond, forest, farm, and meadow. A simple tip of the book resets all the windows, I wish there was a tiny indentation or something for my finger to catch on so the slide was easier, perhaps this will improve with wear. Sturdy and well engineered, this will stand up to a lot of checkouts.

Lisa Librarian

Snap! Stick Out Your Tongue by Bob Barner - ADVISABLE

Snap! Stick Out Your Tongue by Bob Barner BOARD BOOK Chronicle Books, 2020 $15 9781452179414 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre K - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Full of fun facts about animal tongues, like a chameleon's tongue is hollow and a blue whale's tongue weighs as much as an elephant the child learns about 5 different animals with interesting tongues. 

Engineered so that the child can pull out the tongue of each animal and let it "snap" back in. remarkably, it's not designed for adult fingers, I found the tabs tricky to grab and a bit hard to pull, but my pre-schooler had no trouble at all and it made a very satisfying "snap" as she let it go - like the animal was pulling it back inside their mouth.

I am not a Penguin by Liz Wong - ADVISABLE

I am not a Penguin: A Pangolin's Lament by Liz Wong, PICTURE BOOK Alfred A. Knopf (Penguin Random House), 2021. $18. 978-593127407 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

There's an event where you can meet a Pangolin! But, the animals have never heard of a pangolin, they think it's a penguin because his name sounds similar. A pangolin has a long tongue like an anteater, scales like a snake and claws like a bear, but it's not a snake, anteater or bear. It can curl up and release a stink when it's scared but it's not a skunk or an armadillo. It's quite unique (and interesting). 

I loved this introduction to an animal I had never heard of. I learned so much, and laughed a little too. The illustrations are cute, and the story is told through dialogue between the Pangolin and the other animals - until the end, when there is a surprise visitor.

Lisa Librarian

The Night Bear by Ana de Moraes-ADVISIBLE

The Night Bear by Ana de Moraes, illustrated by Thiago de Moraes. PICTURE BOOK. Andersen Press USA, 2019. $18.

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The Night Bear arrives on the night bus looking for nightmares to eat. Luckily there are many delicious offerings that have been left out for his snacking. Snakes taste like cake and a howling ghost like cheese on toast.

Lovely illustrations outmatch average writing in this tale of a nightmare eating bear. The idea is creative and the overall book will engage little readers, but the telling is too brief to create a magical feeling leaving it just out of reach. It could be a useful book as young ones may find solace in the possibility of a way to rid themselves of scary dreams. The clever illustrations inside the front and back covers that show how to fold a takeout box to leave out for the Night Bear with nightmare offerings and a list of frights and the corresponding flavors is delightful.

Reviewer: AEB 

Deep in the Forest by Josef Anton and Lucie Brunelliere - ESSENTIAL

Deep in the Forest by Josef Anton, illustrated by Lucie Brunelliere. PICTURE BOOK. Harry N. Abrams, 2017. $18.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Go deep in the forest and find the many animals that hide there. Whether swinging in the trees, gliding through the water, or even burrowing underground, these animals are waiting to be discovered.

A seek and find book that allows readers to search for over fifty animals in the forest. Gorgeously drawn and vividly colored, the illustrations will appeal to young and old alike. The interactive flaps bring a fun element while the information provided is sufficient to interest, but not overwhelm, the reader.

AEB

Bee & Me by Alison Jay - ESSENTIAL

Bee & Me Alison Jay. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2017. $16. 9781910646052

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A story of a girl, a boy, and a bee. When a bee becomes trapped in an apartment the young girl who lives there is able to see beyond the threat and help the bee learn to navigate the big city. As the girl learns about friendship and kindness, she reaches out to a lonely boy in her building and together with the bee, they make the city bloom.

Beautiful illustrations move this wordless picture book forward allowing for the imagination of young readers to take center stage. Each read could lead to new versions of the story, but always the themes of friendship and compassion will prevail. The last page provides information on the environment and the impact of bees giving a nice finishing touch.

AEB

Puma Dreams by Tony Johnston - ESSENTIAL

Puma Dreams by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Jim Lamarche, PICTURE BOOK Simon and Schuster, 2019, $18. 9781534429796

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

A young girl wants to see a puma, in the wild. Her grandmother tells her this is a long-dream, because it probably won't happen - pumas are elusive and stay away from people. She knows it may take a long time, even years to catch a glimpse of one, but her grandma helps, placing a salt lick on the hillside far away from the farmhouse, it's something that attracts lots of different kinds of animals - perhaps a puma will find it irresistible.

 Oh! The illustrations are exquisite! Acrylics, colored pencil and opaque inks make every illustration a portrait. The text is poetic and beautiful. A wonderful book about hoping, and patience and dreams. Includes information about the Puma, and links to conservation groups and ways you can help preserve this declining cat.

Lisa Librarian

Baby Bird by Andrew Gibbs - ADVISABLE

Baby Bird by Andrew Gibbs, illustrated by Zosienka. PICTURE BOOK. Francis Lincoln Children's Books, 2018. $18. 9781786035912.

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Baby Bird is a bit different from his brothers and sisters in that he has one wing that's smaller and a bit crippled. When it comes time to fly, he can't seem to make it work. Upon hitting the ground, Baby Bird meets a very different bird who who helps him embrace his differences and find his own way of flying.

I liked the general message of this story about diversity and achieving our dreams in our own unique way. The story felt a little long for what it was and didn't do a great job keeping my kids' attention. I think this is a book that could be utilized well in a classroom setting, however, in teaching citizenship skills/individuality/etc.

Reviewer: TC

Chomp: A Shark Romp by Michael Paul - ADVISABLE

Chomp: A Shark Romp by Michael Paul. PICTURE BOOK. Crown Books for Young Readers, 2019. $17. 9781524767020


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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Sharks live in oceans around the world and come in many different shapes and sizes. This simple animal-themed picture book focuses on the differences found in various shark species. Some sharks are shy and some are fierce, some sharks are camouflaged and others literally shine in the dark, etc. Only a small number of sharks are actually highlighted, but the wide variety of sharks is made apparent.

I really liked this book for its clear message and bold illustrations. We are already big shark fans at my house, and the kids very much enjoyed this book. This is not a book that will give you any deep information about sharks, but is a great introductory book that creates more questions for young readers to then explore. This will be a big hit with animal lovers and shark lovers in particular.

Reviewer: TC

Animals by Miranda Smith - ADVISABLE

Smith, Miranda. Animals. Kingfisher Press. 2009. Pgs. 43.

EL,MS - ADVISABLE

Animals inhabit every nook and cranny of the earth. Some are mammals, some are amphibians, some are reptiles, some are bird, some are fish, and some are invertebrates (animals without a backbone). All, however, use various methods for attack, defense, mating, self-protection, traveling, raising young, etc.

This book introduces readers to the world of animals and what it means to be an animal. Although this guide it very basic, readers will enjoy the unusual insights it provides as well as the accurate illustrations and photos the author provides as well as the text they complement so well.

Reviewer: Jessica, Librarian, Olympus Jr. High.