Lucie and the Wind by Gregoire Laforce and Yvan Duque - ADVISABLE

Lucie and the Wind by Gregoire Laforce and  Yvan Duque. PICTURE BOOK. Milky Way (Abrams), 2026. $20. 9781990252426

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

A girl named Lucy loves to collect little treasures that she finds on her walks. She places items like small sticks, flowers, and anything that catches her fancy in mason jars that she stores at home. She carries her backpack wherever she goes to help carry her treasures. One day on her walk, Lucy hears a voice from above. As she converses, she learns that she is talking to the wind. She really wants to put it in a jar, but the wind convinces Lucy to follow it instead. As Lucy goes on an adventure, she gets to know the wind and learns that not everything special will fit into jars.

The story had a good overall theme, however the plot wasn't very engaging. I loved the illustrations that accompanied the text. They helped drive the text and move the plot forward. This could be used to teach personification and theme.

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher

Bear Hair by Jeff Mack - SEVERAL

 

Bear Hair by Jeff Mack. PICTURE BOOK. Henry Holt (Macmillan), JULY 2026. $19. 9781250409676

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Bear/bare Hair/hare - Mack uses basically four words and cute illustrations to give us a full story of two friends. A fun way to teach homophones and the interplay between word and illustration in a picture book. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Rock and Roll by Ruby Amy Thompson - ESSENTIAL

Rock and Roll by Ruby Amy Thompson. PICTURE BOOK. Tiger Tales, 2026. $19. 9781664300927

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

While the differences between a rock and a roll are pretty obvious, could they also have similarities?

Thompson gives us a quick, yet profound look at the idea of compare and contrast. I am very impressed and will be showing this to lots of secondary teachers. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Make Way by Angela Burke Kunkel and Claire Keane - OPTIONAL

Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings by Angela Burke Kunkel, illustrated by Claire Keane BIOGRAPHY Random House, 2023. $20. 9780593373354 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A short biography of Robert McCloskey, the author of "Make Way for Ducklings" and Nancy Schön, the sculpture of the "Make Way for Ducklings" statue in Boston's Public Garden. 

The illustrations were a sweet tribute to McCloskey's picture book, and pairing these artists with the story of them creating their works was a great idea. I didn't love that it was narrated in the present tense, it felt like the story was describing what was happening in the pictures, rather than telling a story. 

McClosky is white, Schön is Jewish 

Lisa Librarian

The Real Dada Mother Goose Jon Scieszka and Julia Rothman - ESSENTIAL

 The Real Dada Mother Goose: a treasury of complete nonsense by Jon Scieszka and Julia Rothman. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2022. 9780763694340

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Scieszka takes 6 classic nursery rhymes and messes each them up in 6 totally unique, mostly hilarious ways. Not only a great way to teach nursery rhymes to a new generation, but the clever twists on each rhyme will ignite imaginations. I love that at the end Scieszka encourages readers to take their own nursery rhymes and twist them in new ways. Includes back matter explaining twist, such as Esperanto, that readers may not be familiar with.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

Bearnard Writes a Book by Deborah Underwood and Misa Saburi - ADVISABLE

Bearnard Writes a Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Misa Saburi. PICTURE BOOK. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2022. $19. 9781250261458 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Now that Bearnard has his own book, he wants his BFF Gertie to have a book too. He needs some help though, so he follows the map of Storybook Land thru the library for research - Character City, Setting Village, Problem Plaza. With a stop at The Writer’s Room, Bearnard thinks he might be done, but realizes his story is short and boring. Luckily, he can REVISE! 

What a cute look at the story-writing process! I would even read this to any level that teaches Creative Writing. 

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares - ESSENTIAL

Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins, illustrated by Daniel Miyares. PICTURE BOOK. Chronicle, 2021. $19. 9781452166506

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Higgins and Miyares explore the concept of size in a metaphorical way that inspires whimsy and thought. For students who are old enough to start discussing the world in a less literal way, this could inspire a whole day of thought exploration, including brainstorming, art creation, writing, and Socratic discussions. Once you’re done with these size concepts, you could move on to The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Hello, Rain! by Kyo Maclear and Chris Turnham - ADVISABLE

Hello, Rain! by Kyo Maclear and Chris Turnham. PICTURE BOOK Chronicle Books, 2021. $17. 9781452138190 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A girl waits for the rain, and when it starts, she gets all dressed to go out in it - even puts the dog in a raincoat. Puddles, splashing, playing tin he water running down the curb. And then, the animals who love the rain come out - frogs, worms, and snails. The rain waters the flowers and the tress. But lightning and thunder chase them back inside, until the storm is over, then there's all new adventures to be had in the glistening sunshine. 

So much onomatopoeia made this a delightful book! This little girl loves everything about the rain, her delight made me so happy. Great illustrations highlight the poetic text. A marvelous read aloud.

Lisa Librarian

Dee and Apostrofee by Judith Henderson, illustrated by Ohara Hale - OPTIONAL

Dee and Apostrofee by Judith Henderson, illustrated by Ohara Hale. PICTURE BOOK Kids Can Press, 2021. $19. 9781525303265 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The letter D (Dee) thinks she is the most important letter in the alphabet because so many words start with her letter. But, Apostrofee thinks he is very important because he can shorten words. If he eats the 'o' in Do not, he gets Don't. Eventually, with all the demonstrating, he's eaten too many and ends up in the sky with gas. 

This is a very silly book, and a cute example for how to use an apostrophe, however, Apostrofee doesn't follow the rules, and eliminates whatever letters he wants (D'lish, Peace 'n' Harmony, d'ssert etc.) While I applaud the effort and the energy - it just goes a bit too far. There are enough exceptions to the rules already. Also, why spell Apostrophe like that?

Lisa Librarian

The B on Your Thumb by Colette Hiller and Tor Freeman - OPTIONAL

The B on Your Thumb by Colette Hiller, illustrated by Tor Freeman, 80 pages. PICTURE BOOK. Quarto, 2020. $20. 9780711254602 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Hiller has written 60 poems illustrated by Freeman that briefly talk about the idiosyncrasies of the American English language. Each poem is very short – giving just a framework for a further discussion of each peculiarity. Because of this, it is more for a dedicated teacher to use as a lesson introduction, rather than for a student to read on their own. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Eek! A Noisy Journey From A to Z by Julie Larios and Julie Paschkis - ADVISABLE

Eek! A Noisy Journey From A to Z by Julie Larios, illustrated by Julie Paschkis. Peachtree, 2020. $17. 9781682631690

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A mouse sneezes (achoo) and sets off a chain reaction of hilarity that ultimately results in a new friendship. 

I love that Larios and Paschkis have woven together an abecedarian of onomatopoeia with words and illustrations weaving together a coherent whole. Kids who read carefully and pay attention to the pictures will love it, but I don’t think most will try that hard on their own. 

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

I’ll Believe You When.. Unbelievable Idioms From Around the World by Susan Schubert and Raquel Bonita - ADVISABLE

I’ll Believe You When.. Unbelievable Idioms From Around the World by Susan Schubert, illustrated by Raquel Bonita. PICTURE BOOK. Lantana, 2020. $18. 9781911373490 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A boy sees a dragon but no one will believe him until… 

I was a bit slow on the uptake. Each of the subsequent sayings (…pigs fly, …when fish climb poplars) comes from a different country, the name of which is written on a tree trunk in the scene. Now you won’t be as confused as I was. Fun to read with children and talk about the different sayings. What I don’t know is where to find other similar sayings from other countries. 

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Snowman-Cold=Puddle: Spring Equations by Laura Purdie Salas - ADVISABLE

Snowman-Cold=Puddle: Spring Equations by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Micha Archer.  PICTURE BOOK.  Charlesbridge, 2019.  $17. 9781580897983

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE; MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Like the title equation, spring if full of interactions that add, subtract, multiply, and divide to make to a blooming world to explore.

Salas calls these poems, but there really isn’t anything poetic about them expect for the odd line breaks.  The real stars here are the equations, which would make a great launch to an activity that can easily be extended to other seasons or situations.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Tangle of Brungles by Shobha Viswanath - ESSENTIAL

A Tangle of Brungles by Shobha Viswanath, illustrated by Culpeo S. Fox.  PICTURE BOOK.  Karadi Tales, 2018.  $16. 9788181903600

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

One of the witch’s has decided it’s time for her to marry, so she will summon her own groom – a Brungle. With her coven’s help they gather the ingredients to weave their spell.

While Viswanath has written a nice addition to a Halloween collection, she has really written a great collection noun tale!  What a great read accompanied by a fun recitation of collective nouns.  Ready made to keep the students’ attention on a party day.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Summer Supper by Rubin Pfeffer - ESSENTIAL

Summer Supper by Rubin Pfeffer, illustrated by MikeAustin. PICTURE BOOK. Random House, 2018. $18. 9781524714742

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K – ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

This book uses minimal words and labeled illustrations drawn with bold shapes and colors to follow the journey from a garden to the dinner table. Pfeffer continues on through a sunset fiddle session, washing the dishes, and bedtime, complete with a final midnight snack.

Share this one with your toddlers and pre-schoolers to talk about food production, or common daily activities, or the letter S (every word in the text and on the labels begins thus). It’s bright and happy and will make you smile while providing lots of items to point to and discuss.

P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian

Responsive Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework - ESSENTIAL

Responsive Literacy: A Comprehensive Framework by Patricia L. Scharer, Editor. 379 pages. Scholastic, 2018.  $53.  9781338245622

BUYING RECOMMENDATION: ADULTS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Responsive Learning is an almost monolithic resource for an elementary teacher working on creating a nurturing atmosphere for reading comprehension and writing.  I can see this being used in university level courses as a text or as a long-term professional development text for working professionals.  The information is both critical and also compelling for any elementary teacher who wants to develop lifelong readers.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Missing Donut by Judith Henderson - ADVISABLE

The Missing Donut by Judith Henderson, illustrated by T.L. McBeth. PICTURE BOOK. KIDS CAN PRESS, 2018. $13. 9781771387880

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Told is seven separate stories, each story uses one big word and builds the tale around defining and remembering the word. There is a Sprinkle Fairy and Sprinklers used in each story that alert the reader to the big words. The final story reviews each big word.

My kids are still using the words they learned in this book, especially “smithereens”. The stories themselves are random and not particularly notable, but the form could be used to model how to write stories based on the students’ own vocabulary words. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

Raining Cats and Dogs by Will Moses - ESSENTIAL

Moses, Will Raining Cats and Dogs. Philomel (Penguin), 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL; HS - ADVISABLE

Moses' book is crammed with more than 40 idioms that are defined correctly, but illustrated with clever drawings that emphasize the literal interpretation. My only gripe with the book is that I wish each saying has its own page and that the book were more over-sized. A teacher really needs a document projector in order to use this text well.

Cindy, Library-Teacher

Suddenly Alligator: an adverbial tale by Rick Walton - ADVISABLE

Walton, Rick Suddenly Alligator: an adverbial tale PICTURE BOOK Gibbs Smith 

EL, MS, HS – ADVISABLE

A young boy walks through the swamp in quest of a new pair of socks. Along with other discoveries, he encounters an alligator intent on making the boy his next meal. 

The author places each adverb at the end of the sentence add emphasis, helping younger readers enjoy the lesson. Middle or high school grammar and writing teachers could use this book to show how using a wide variety of adverbs enhances writing MIGHTILY.