The Fire Breathing Duckling (Toon level 2) by Frank Cammuso - ADVISABLE

The Fire Breathing Duckling (Toon level 2) by Frank Cammuso. 40 pages. EARLY READER, GRAPHIC NOVEL Toon (Astra/Boyds Mill), 2025. $14. 9781662665332 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

When an unusual egg appears in a duck's nest, she is determined to raise it with her other ducklings. But when it realizes it can't swim, a bluebird tries to help it find its family. It's not an oinking or a mooing duckling, so what could it be? 

A darling retelling of the ugly duckling for a modern audience. The baby dragon is adorable. These early-reader graphic novels are perfect for emerging readers. 

Lisa Librarian  

Starbird by Sharon King-Chai - ADVISABLE

Starbird by Sharon King-Chai. PICTURE BOOK. Two Hoots (Pan Macmillan), 2023. $19. 9781035026296

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The Moon King captured the legendary Starbird as a gift for his daughter. When the girl saw how sad Starbird was, she released it - and enraged Moon King who vowed to follow Starbird to the ends of the earth to recapture it.

I am enamored with King-Chai’s illustrations! Some pages are a seek-and-find as Starbird hides from the Moon King at night. King-Chai was written and illustrated a lovely new fable.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Case of Old MacDonald and His Farm by Mark Teague - ADVISABLE

The Case of Old MacDonald and His Farm by Mark Teague. PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane Books  (Simon and Schuster), 2026. $20. 9781665990769

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Old MacDonald called the police to come and investigate a disturbance on his farm.  MacDonald shows officer Busby the faces painted on his cabbages, the duck's corn dumped in the lake, pizza delivered to the goats, mustaches painted on the cows, hats on the chickens, and more.  Who could be doing all of this to the animals on his farm and why?

The Case of Old MacDonald and His Farm is an enjoyably silly whodunit mystery.   I especially loved Teague's outstanding humorous illustrations.

PGPowers

Rumplestiltskin retold by Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis - OPTIONAL

Rumplestiltskin retold by Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis. PICTURE BOOK. Orchard (Scholastic), 2026. $20. 9781338673852

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

Barnett adds a bit of a modern feel to the classic tale and shortens it a bit, but refrains from completely modernizing it. He does change the detail of how Rumplestilskin’s name is discovered, perhaps to give the Queen character some power? I didn’t feel as if the power of the story changed - not enough for me to buy another copy of the story, unless I need a new one for some reason.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Stop That Mop! (Ready to Read Level One) by Jonathan Fenske. - ADVISABLE

Stop That Mop! (Ready to Read Level One) by Jonathan Fenske. EARLY READER Simon and Schuster, 2025. $19. 9781665932721 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

The mop is tired of mopping, and tired of cleaning up the slop and glop the pig drops, so it runs away. The bunny, the horse and the fish can't catch it either. 

Combining the repetitive rhymes like Green Eggs and Ham, along with a plot like The Gingerbread Man, this is certainly a fun read for the newly independent reader. Fenske's illustrations are so funny. 

Lisa Librarian

The Princess and the Grain of Rice by Tina Cho and Honee Jang - ADVISABLE

The Princess and the Grain of Rice by Tina Cho, illustrated by Honee Jang. PICTURE BOOK. Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), 2026. $19. 9780374392253

BUYING ADVISORY:  EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

In the mountain Joseon kingdom, it was time for the crown prince to marry a princess chosen by his parents.  Jeongsoon wanted to be a princess to help the hungry so she agreed to compete in the Manners Test, and the Wisdom Test.  The queen chooses her out of all the other girls to compete in the final sleep test. Will she unknowingly feel a tiny grain of rice underneath 100 blankets?  Will Jeongsoon pass the test even when she lets a hungry mouse eat the grain of rice?

I really liked Cho's Korean retelling of the Princess and the Pea. Jang's illustrations are interesting and beautiful.

PGPowers

Little Bad Wolf by Abie Longstaff and Leire Martin - ESSENTIAL

Little Bad Wolf by Abie Longstaff, illustrated by Leire Martin. PICTURE BOOK. Happy Yak, 2025. $19 9780711296466 

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

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Before becoming the BIG, BAD WOLF, Baby Wolfie has to grow up and learn patience because things often make him grumpy. If anything (lamp posts, his desk at school, shoes) upsets Baby Wolfie, he simply gobbles it up! When the teacher begins to give out Star Pupil badges, Wolfie is FINALLY chosen as the Star Pupil and to celebrate, his dad makes him a red and swishy red cloak. So begins the story of Little Red stealing Wolfie's cloak, claiming it belongs to her, eventually meeting her demise in the forest and home of her grandmother many years later. 

Goldilocks, the Gingerbread Man, Little Pig, and Jack and the Beanstalk are side characters in this adorable picture book. Every once in a while, the PERFECT picture book comes along. "Little Bad Wolf - Before the Fairy Tale" is that book for me! The illustrations are so adorable! The creative writing is perfection! Tying a variety of other fairy tale characters into the story is brilliant! I am unaware of another book that focuses on The Big Bad wolf as "baby Wolfie", but this one wins the prize! Great picture book! The illustrator did a great job representing many ethnic backgrounds in her illustrations. 

 S. Lewis

Little Red and Big, Bad Fred by Ashley Belote - ESSENTIAL

Little Red and Big, Bad Fred by Ashley Belote. PICTURE BOOK. Random House, 2025. $19. 9780593902431

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

APPEALS TO: MANY

Little Red loves his encounters in every season with Fred, the fluffy kitty that lives in the forest. Little Red thinks that Fred is the best. When Fred gets hurt one day, Red brings Fred to his Great Grandfather who informs Red that Fred is a DOG! Even better!

As you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, you know Fred is really a wolf. Watching the two interact is pure gold. Belote has a perfect combination of text and illustrations creating a cohesive whole.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS