A Knot is not a Tangle by Daniel Nayeri and Vesper Stamper - ADVISABLE

A Knot is not a Tangle by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Vesper Stamper. PICTURE BOOK Random House, 2025 $19.00 9780593809693 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

When the Persian rug the boy's grandmother made with her grandmother begins to fray and fade, it's time to make a new one. So the grandmother teaches the boy everything, from spinning the wool of his grandfather's sheep to dying the yarn, planning the pattern, setting up the loom, and finally weaving. But there's more to making a rug than just knowing how to do it, Grandmother also tells stories and teaches life lessons. 

I'm a fiber artist myself, and adored this story of teaching a skill to a new generation. This story made my heart happy. The illustrations are colorful and accurate (to my eye at least). I liked the author's note, about Persian rug making and a lesson about perfection. I would have loved there to be a personal connection between Nayeri and making a rug with a photo. He's a great writer, and I assumed it was autobiographical. Not disappointed, though, that it is not. Still buying a copy for my library.  The family is Iranian. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Quilt of Our Memories by Desiree Acevedo and Victor Jaubert. - ADVISABLE

The Quilt of Our Memories by Desiree Acevedo illustrated by Victor Jaubert. PICTURE BOOK. Cuento de Luz, 2025. $20. 9788410438033 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

A beautiful quilt is created as generation after generation, each and every woman in this family creates a quilt block representative of different members of the family. Whether a block with beautiful tomatoes from an aunt's garden, or a paint palette representing great-aunt Lola's amazing landscapes on canvas, all the quilt blocks tell a specific and special story. The final quilt block completed represents what family means to the seamstress. There is one block left unfinished for future quilters to complete. 

This sweet book can be used in a classroom on a unit on family traditions, sewing appliqué style, and career choices with gender diversity. The bright, bold colors on each page draw the reader into this sweet story. I loved that the typical female tradition was carried on by surprise posterity. The illustrations are very detailed and will lend to many hours of conversation and perhaps spark childhood stories from one generation to the next. Although sewing/quilting tends to be completed by women, the surprise ending lends to gender diversity. 

S. Lewis

I Won't Give Up My Rubber Band by Shinsuke Yoshitake - OPTIONAL

I Won't Give Up My Rubber Band by Shinsuke Yoshitake. PICTURE BOOK Chronicle Books LLC, 2022. $16. 9781797214924 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A young girl discovers a "treasure" on the ground and asks her mother if she can keep it. The treasure? A rubber band! The rest of the story shows all the creative and imaginative ways the girl plans to use and enjoy her fortunate find. 

The story was cute, embracing the far-fetched ways a rubber band could be used. The illustrations are simple line drawings with perfect little details that make the story even more fun. This book could be a great read-aloud before a discussion about unlikely treasures and the imaginative ways things can be used and enjoyed. I enjoyed the pages showcasing different peoples' unique, treasured belongings. And I loved the main character's response to an unexpected catastrophe at the end of the book. A few characters have Japanese names, but the simple line illustrations don't cue anything notable about ethnicity. 

Angie Campbell - EL Librarian

Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band by Michael Mahin - ADVISABLE

Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band by Michael Mahin, illustrated by Don Tate. PICTURE BOOK. Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2018. $18. 9780547942018.


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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In 1895 New Orleans, a group of homeless boys created their own instruments and formed a band. The music they played was a synthesis of all sorts of musical styles--blues, folks, gospel and more--and became a part of the story of jazz. Though initially disliked and forced to move to another part of town, the band eventually finds a receptive audience and a small place in American musical history. 

This is a niche little historical fiction picture book that tells an interesting tale. The story itself is fun and has a lot of great onomatopoeia in the text; the illustrations fit the story really well and add a great sense of movement and music. There is a nice author's note and more at the back. This would be a fun book to use in a music lesson or a general life lesson about creativity and solving your own problems. And for the record--my kindergartner loves it!

Reviewer: TC

Imagine by Raul Colon - ESSENTIAL

Imagine by Raul Colon. PICTURE BOOK. Simon and Schuster, 2018. $18.00. 9781481462730

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A young boy heads into New York City to visit the Museum of Modern art.  As he begins looking through the museum, the artwork comes to life and joins him on his tour.  Musicians, lions, and dancers follow the boy through the museum and out the doors. Together they discover and enjoy the many sights to see throughout New York City.  Finally, it is time for the boy to go home.  He takes each of the characters back to their paintings and says farewell.  

This is a captivating wordless picture book that captures the wonders of New York City.  It also showcases some of the beautiful works of art that can be enjoyed at the Museum of Modern Art.  At the back of the book there is an authors note that chronicles his own experiences with art and what inspired him to become an illustrator and develop his own artistic style. 

Gina, Media Specialist

Where’s Your Creativity by Aaron Rosen and Riley Watts - ESSENTIAL

Where’s Your Creativity by Aaron Rosen and Riley Watts, illustrated by Marika Maijala. PICTURE BOOK. Tate Publishing (Abrams), 2017. $17. 9781849765091

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

This books answers the question in the title with the idea that it is all around you. Creativity is in the ideas you have and the dreams you experience at night. Creativity isn’t just in your head, but also in your body through stretching and dancing. It is in the clothes you choose to wear and the food you like and the art you make. There are so many ways to experience creativity. 

This is a great book, especially for the age when kids start to think dualistically about creativity - you are or you aren’t. This would be a fun book to open a conversation on what students like to do creatively and what they would like to explore in the future. Any book that opens a student’s view on the way they can experience the world is a positive in my book! 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

Hotel Fantastic by Thomas Gibault - OPTIONAL

Hotel Fantastic by Thomas Gibault. PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2018. $17. 9781771389921

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

The narrator spends the length of the book convincing you why you will love the Hotel Fantastic. From the perfect fit of a room to gourmet chefs to an infirmary for all your needs, this is a quality hotel. The illustrations depict a mixture of monsters and creatures enjoying the amenities. In the final scene, as a giant hand attacks the hotel, we realize that a brother is playing with his toys in his sister’s dollhouse. 

I liked the illustrations in this book - bright and playful - which did most of the talking. The illustrations showed the monsters and creatures doing funny and glamorous things around the hotel. The book was entertaining, but not in a way that makes you want to pick it up over and over again. Finally, I do not love the idea of “girl toys” and “boy toys” that this books subtly endorses. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

The Little Barbarian by Renato Moriconi - OPTIONAL

The Little Barbarian by Renato Moriconi. PICTURE BOOK. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2018. 9780802855091

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Is this tall format wordless picture book, a viking-like figure jumps on a horse, jumps high over a chasm, ducks low under attacking birds, jumps over a pit of snacks, ducks under incoming arrows, and so forth. After many adventures we see a giant reach down to grab the barbarian and on the final page we see a father and son walk away from a carousel.

My third grader laughed out loud in surprise at the end of this book but my first grader did not get it. Even after I explained it, he was not impressed. The pictures are a bit rugged, but the tall size of the book is fun. I think this will be a fun read for some and total miss for others.     

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

Big Box, Little Box by Caryl Hart - ESSENTIAL

Big Box Little Box by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Edward Underwood, PICTURE BOOK, Bloomsbury, 2018. $18.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

The cat has so many different boxes - and they all have a description: size, color, purpose. So many boxes, but one doesn't seem to be his!

The rhyming text is wonderful! The illustrations are bold and simple.  Few words make it a fun share with a small child or new reader.  

Lisa Librarian