A Family of Readers by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Gabbie Benda - ADVISABLE

A Family of Readers by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Gabbie Benda. PICTURE BOOK Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2026. $18. 9781623546472 

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

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

The public library can be a busy place, so from the moment the family arrives there's always something going on. Old men reading the newspaper, women in a book club, cooks and mechanics discussing their latest project, even a group of actors who have come to put on a show for pre-schoolers. The family finds a quiet place just perfect for them. 

Told in verse, I found this story delightful. It's just like my local library with so much going on no matter when you arrive. I love how all the things somehow floated back to the family and their needs. I'm not sure kids will love this as much as I do but for a librarian, this was a perfect read. Buying a copy for myself and a couple of friends, too. The family was white, but the library was full of a mix of cultures and races. 

Lisa Librarian 

Houdini's Library by Barb Rosenstock and Mar Delmar - ESSENTIAL

Houdini's Library by Barb Rosenstock and Mar Delmar. NON-FICTION, BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Alfred A. Knopf (Random), 2026. $19. 9780593570135

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Did you ever wonder where Harry Houdini learned how to be a magician? It was through reading books! Houdini's Library is the story of Harry's life, how he started out in a poor family of a Jewish rabbi. Houdini worked many jobs before finding a book about magic. That book changed his life.

Houdini's Library is a very intriguing story that teaches how important books are. Harry was actually and avid reader and book collector. The illustrations are beautifully painted and some of them look like postcards or photos. Houdini's Library would be a great read aloud and would hopefully help to promote the biography section in the library. Harry and his family are Jewish.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian 

A Family of Readers by Rob Sanders and Gabbie Benda- OPTIONAL

A Family of Readers by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Gabbie Benda. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2026. $18. 9781623546472

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

One sunny day at the local library, a family of readers rushed in the front door to read, enjoy, search, and explore.  In the library, a group of older men were reading the news, while other kinds of bookworms were reading in nooks.

A Family of Readers embraces libraries as powerful, welcoming spaces for learning and community.  Unfortunately,  it was a little boring, even though they tried to have things happening in the library that wouldn't really happen such as breadmaking.  Benda's illustrations were cute. There is an illustration of a boy dressing like a girl throughout the book.

PGPowers

How to Read a Very Serious Book by Mirielle Messier and Kelly Collier - ADVISABLE

How to Read a Very Serious Book by Mirielle Messier and Kelly Collier. PICTURE BOOK. Owl Kids, 2026. $19. 9781771476584

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The narrator notices that the boy and girl are reading very serious books. He gives them some pointers on how to look even more serious as they are reading their serious books. 

Messier and Collier add a nice little bit at the end to surprise the reader in a delightful way. I would love reading this with a 2nd or 3rd grade group and have them practice along with the narrator’s tips.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Antoine De Saint-Exupery by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Martin Le Lapin - ADVISABLE

Antoine De Saint-Exupery (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Martin Le Lapin. PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY. Frances Lincoln (Quarto), 2024. $16. 9780711292062

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

Vegara gives us a short, but interesting look at the highlights of De Saint-Exupery’s life. It balances his life as a pilot with the few, but beloved, books he authored. 

The Little People, Big Dreams series is so varied and interesting. They are a great model for a 2-4th grade biography project. A classroom teacher could have a collection built around particular topics for kids to read and share out to each other for building background knowledge.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Piggypine by Richard T. Morris and Charles Santoso - ESSENTIAL

Piggypine by Richard T. Morris, pictures by Charles Santoso. PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum (Simon), 2025. $20. 9781665925303

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

The piggypine is an imaginary animal on a scrap of a sketch, but it really wants its own story. The narrator isn’t very sold on the idea and tries to tell the original story, but every author knows that characters have minds of their own!

Piggypine is awfully adorable! and I love an occasional picture book that breaks the fourth wall. Piggypine is adorable and his antics will please your listeners. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Fanny’s Big Idea: how Jewish Book Week was born by Richard Michaelson, illustrated by Alyssa Russell - OPTIONAL

Fanny’s Big Idea: how Jewish Book Week was born by Richard Michaelson, illustrated by Alyssa Russell. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Rocky Pond (Penguin), 2025. $19. 9798217003259

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Fanny and her family left their home in Russia when the tsar started burning their villages and homes. In New York she found a place where she could learn and grow, even if she was being urged to learn housekeeping and get married. Throughout her life she encouraged others to learn about their own origins and to learn about others - “The more you learn about someone’s life, the harder it is not to like them.” When she eventually became the director of a Boston public library branch, she created a week of celebration around Hanukkah to help the new American Jews learn their background and to open Jewish traditions and cultures to other ethnic groups.

The title of the book is misleading - while it does lead to the beginning of Jewish Week, it is more Fanny’s story even though we don’t learn her last name until the last page of the book. It is a story of immigration and persecution and finding your own path in the world - which happens to lead to the formation of Jewish Book Week. Lovely illustrations for a quiet story. It could lead to a discussion of “Week” celebrations of various kinds.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Library Fish Learns to Read by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Gladys Jose - ADVISABLE

The Library Fish Learns to Read by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Gladys Jose. PICTURE BOOK Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. $19. 9781534477070 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Library Fish loved her home on the desk of Mr. Hughes, the librarian. She felt important as she welcomed every visitor and checked each book that was borrowed and returned. Story time was her favorite part of the day making her quiver with excitement or laughter. One day the librarian read a book about a dog who learned to read. Library Fish wanted to clap out loud. She realized that she could learn to read. So every night she practiced. She first started learning the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. Then she practiced words in books using illustrations to help her know the word. Will she ever actually be able to read a real book? 

The Library Fish Learns to Read is a creative way to encourage young children to learn to read, listing all the steps it takes to become a reader. Capucilli helps children glimpse the love of reading and the joys of libraries. The fish and illustrations are cute and do much of the storytelling. 

PGPowers 

Hooked on Books by Margaret Chiu Greanias and Kristyna Litten - ADVISABLE

Hooked on Books by Margaret Chiu Greanias, illustrated by Kristyna Litten. PICTURE BOOK. Peachtree, 2023. $19. 9781682633670 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Pearl the anglerfish just wants to find some peace and quiet so that she can enjoy her book. But the other marine animals keep finding her and wanting to read the book too. She goes to great lengths to find a quiet spot. When she is finished, however, she realizes that reading alone and friendless may not be exactly what she wants. 

I love that the author introduces us to new concepts like yeti crabs and marine snow! Pearl is pretty cute with her built in reading light. Add this to a collection about books and reading if needed. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

A Land of Books by Duncan Tonatiuh - ADVISABLE

A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters by Duncan Tonatiuh. NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Abrams/Amulet. 2022. $20. 9781419749421 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

For centuries, Mesoamerican and Aztec "word painters" created beautiful books recording the stories of their people. They were laid out flat for reading but were folded up for storage. The paper and paints were made by hand. These writers were highly educated, as they needed to understand religion, astronomy, war, and history and be able to express themselves through their drawings and paintings. The skills were passed from parents to children, and the books were often read at festivals. 

Duncan Tonatiuh includes words from Nahuatl, an ancient language which still exists today. They are set in a context, so the reader knows what they mean, however, a glossary with a pronunciation guide is included. There is also an extensive author's note and some excellent websites and sources. Tonatiuh's illustrations are beautiful, and reminiscent of the ancient carvings in Mexico. 

 Lisa 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