Light: The Extraordinary Energy That Illuminates Our World by Dr. Jess Wade and Ana Sanelippo - ADVISABLE

Light: The Extraordinary Energy That Illuminates Our World written by Dr. Jess Wade, illustrated by Ana Sanelippo. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2025. $19. 9781536243635

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

Discover all the amazing complexities of light with this detailed text by physicist & STEM communicator Dr. Jess Wade and colorful illustrations by Ana Sanfelippo.

A delightful exploration of the science of light for any and all budding scientists. The author does a really good job of explaining how light works and how it affects almost every aspect of our world, while still being approachable for young audiences. I loved the main character and her dog on each page, it was a nice visual cue to look for when the topic would change.

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

Always Beginning: The Big Bang, the Universe and You by Candace Savage and Rachel Wada - OPTIONAL

Always Beginning: The Big Bang, the Universe and You by Candace Savage, illustrated by Rachel Wada. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Greystone Kids, 2024. $19. 9781771648431 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the Big Bang Theory? Always Beginning tells the story of the earth's creation through beautiful illustrations and very few words.

Always Beginning uses illustrations to help students understand the Big Bang Theory. This book could be used while teaching science as an introduction to this subject for younger grades. It also has a timeline at the back of the Big Bang Theory. I am not sure how appealing this book would be to students looking for a book because the cover is very dark and not very inviting.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian 

Tell Me About Space by Lisa Varchol Perron and Jennifer Falkner - ESSENTIAL

Tell Me About Space by Lisa Varchol Perron, illustrated by Jennifer Falkner. NON-FICTION BOARD BOOK. Little Simon, 2023. $9. 9781665935579

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

A little boy wonders about space. Why can't we see stars at night? Why don't we just float away? He asks these questions to his mom and more.

This is written with a clear rhythm and rhymes. As the reader, you can read just the conversation between the boy and his mom, or you can read the extra facts on each page. The illustrations help you understand the text and it is an engaging board book. My five year old daughter and I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the text was written with rhyme. I also enjoyed the detailed facts on each page.

Reviewer: A. Criswell, English Language Arts teacher 

Wacky Weather by Todd Tarpley and Aristides Ruiz and Alan Batson - ADVISABLE

Wacky Weather by Todd Tarpley, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Alan Batson. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK.Random House, 2023. $10. 9780593433836

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The Cat in the Hat and his friends take a journey across the earth learning about wacky weather such as waterspouts, fire whirls, ball lighting, and snow donuts. The factual information about wacky weather phenomena is presented interestingly and engagingly. The rhyming text is also well-written. I think this book would appeal to many different students.

Reviewer: A. Snow 

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Baretta and Frank Morrison - ADVISABLE

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Baretta, illustrated by Frank Morrison. NON-FICTION, BIOGRAPHY PICTURE BOOK. Katherine Tegen (Harper), 2020. $10. 9780062430182

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

While we know George Washington Carver from the peanut, he did so much more than that. Baretta gives us a peek into Carver's childhood and how he taught himself about plants and their care. We follow him up through adulthood and challenges because of his race - Carver was never daunted by the roadblocks in his way.

I always enjoy Frank Morrison's illustrations. And Baretta does a nice job of presenting a wider picture of Carver's life and struggles. Good for a Black History lesson, scientists, agriculture, or even Post-Civil War America. Carver is Black former slave.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian 

The Brilliant Calculator by Jan Lower and Susan Reagan - ADVISABLE

The Brilliant Calculator: How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America by Jan Lower, illustrated by Susan Reagan. PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY Calkins Creek (Astra), 2023 $19.00 9781662680069 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Born in 1882, Edith Clarke loved math and engineering and wanted to use it to make modern life better. But those paths were closed to women. She persisted in her own way first teaching, and then attending college, even if she was older than the others, and teaching more and heading back to school herself. In 1921 her Clarke Calculator helped electric engineers complete needful calculations faster and landed her a job as America's first female electrical engineer, improving electrical transmission and telephone lines for all. Clarke never stops teaching, never stops inventing, and never stops learning. 

I love a good biography that tells the story of another woman who forged ahead despite the odds - and brought her name out from obscurity. While a longer read for a picture book biography, it is not unwieldy. Lots of information about Edith is easily available on the Internet. Combine with the many female picture book biographies available for a great unit of study. Edith is white. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Border Crossings by Sneed Collard III and Howard Gray - ADVISABLE

 Border Crossings by Sneed Collard III, illustrated by Howard Gray. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2023. $18. 9781623542382 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A male ocelot heads south in search of a mate, but is stopped when it encounter a tall, long wall that is too high to climb and too close to wriggle through. While some places are still open, too much is now creating an artificial barrier that stops not only humans, but animals also. 

Collard brings to life how the border wall effects more that humans, with no solutions, only worry about what will happen if the whole thing is actually built. The afterward touches on the human toll and more about how much human politics effects animal life. An easy fit for science class, but if I had a modern government class in my school, I would take this to the teacher immediately. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem by Melissa Stewart and Rob Dunlavey - ESSENTIAL

Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Random House, 2023. $19. 9780593380604 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

When a whale dies, their carcass falls to the ocean floor, where a new ecosystem springs up – animals and plants using the nourishment of the whale to grow and live in succession over fifty years. 

Stunning, reverential, and full of information I had never heard before. Dunlavey’s illustrations are the perfect dreamy blues and includes insets with enlarged looks at some of the new denizens. LOVE IT! 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

Poop for Breakfast by Sara Levine and Florence Weiser - ESSENTIAL

Poop for Breakfast: why some animals eat it by Sara Levine, illustrated by Florence Weiser. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK Millbrook (Lerner), 2023. $21. 9781728457963 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Poop is not just for dung beetles! Other animals need to eat poop too. 

Levine and Weiner give us a straightforward look at animals that eat poop and why they do it. I really like the part about why humans should NOT eat poop. Sure to attract a wide audience - even at a high school. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Josephine and her Dishwashing Machine by Katie Hannigan and Sarah Green - ESSENTIAL

Josephine and her Dishwashing Machine by Katie Hannigan and Sarah Green. PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY. Calkins Creek (Astra), 2023. $19. 9781635926217

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Josephine hated that hand-washing was ruining her fine china. She was determined to find a gentler way to clean her dishes, plus hopefully free herself from the wrinkled hands and the time commitment to handwashing. It took her more than a decade of experimentation, but she was able to patent her design and eventually find investors to bring her dream to life.

What an interesting look into the life of an unfamiliar inventor! Hannigan not only gives us a woman to emulate, but shows the highs and lows of the design and experimentation process – success does not come overnight!

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

A Star Explodes by James Gladstone and Yaara Eshet - ADVISABLE

A Star Explodes: the story of supernova 1954 by James Gladstone and Yaara Eshet. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Owlkids, 2023. $22. 9781771474986

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Back in 1054, the light from a star that exploded thousands of years ago finally reached earth’s sky – seen by people all over the world. With the advent of telescopes and better technology, the remnants of that exploded star were named the Crab Nebula. Astronomers still study it today, as the nebula keeps expanding.

I love that with a little internet search I can see that the explosion was recorded in China, Japan, in European countries, and the Middle East. A nicely written, simple explanation that has many uses in various levels of science classrooms – anywhere teachers talk about space, stars, telescopes.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

Out of This World: Star-studded haiku by Sally M. Walker and Matthew Trueman - OPTIONAL

Out of This World: Star-studded haiku by Sally M. Walker and Matthew Trueman. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2022. $19. 9781536203561

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Trueman’s illustrations are the star here – mesmerizing and gorgeous. While Walker’s exploration of the haiku form are fine, the information is all shoved into the back matter. While the back matter is arranged in the order the subjects appear on the other pages, I think a little strategically placed info box (and a more succinct explanation) on the actual page would have been more useful.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

A Shell is Cozy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long - ADVISABLE

A Shell is Cozy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Chronicle, 2023. $19. 9781797212470

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Aston and Long continue their series with a book about shells.

Long’s illustrations are gorgeous and fun to explore in detail. Aston adds just the right amount of text to explain each concept, without overwhelming, and inviting further investigation. Any class that touches on shells would need this book.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

The Universe In You: A Microscopic Journey by Jason Chin - ADVISABLE

The Universe In You: A Microscopic Journey by Jason Chin. NON FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Neal Porter Books (Holiday House), 2022. $19. 9780823450701

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A calliope hummingbird is the smallest bird in the United States. But they are not as small as the smallest butterfly. The smallest bee is still smaller, but its antennae is bigger than the smallest hairs on your body. Cells on your body are still smaller. And the parts of a cell are still smaller. Melanin, organelles, Mitochondria, Lysosomes, Cytoskeleton, ribosomes, nanometers and nuclear pores are smaller still. Smaller still are molecules. Smaller still are DNA. Smaller still are atoms. Smaller still are Protons and Neutrons. Still smaller are electrons. Still smaller are quarks. All these particles are what makes up the universe and a unique human like you.

I enjoyed how Chin immediately aroused my curiosity by leading me down a trail of smaller and smaller living animals, cells, parts of cells, and ending with the elementary particles of the universe. His illustrations were interesting and informative helping the reader realize the vast universe within each of us.

PGPowers

Polar Bear by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann - ADVISABLE

Polar Bear by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann. PICTURE BOOK / NON FICTION. Neal Porter Books (Holiday House Publishing), 2022. $19. 9780823449163

Content: PG (polar bear cubs in danger)

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

It is April in the Artic, and the frozen world stretches awake. A mother polar bear emerges from her den. She has given birth to two cubs over the winter. It is now time for them to find the ice and start hunting. The cubs can’t walk very much so it takes them six days to get to the ice. Along the way wolves go after the cubs, but mother polar bear is able to scare them away. When they get to the ice, the cubs watch their mother hunt for seals. The little family is stuck on some ice that floats out to sea. They have to swim many miles back to shore. The little cubs almost don’t make it.

Polar Bear creates an endearing story to tell us true facts about the life of a mother polar bear and her two cubs with more in depth fact sheets and diagrams at the end. I enjoyed learning about the challenges that polar bears face and the ways that we can help them. Rohmann's realistic and masterful illustrations bring Fleming's text to life.

 PGPowers 

Bioblitz: Counting Critters by Susan Edwards Richmond and Stephanie Fizer Coleman - OPTIONAL

Bioblitz: Counting Critters by Susan Edwards Richmond, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. PICTURE BOOK. Peachtree, 2022. $18. 9781682633113 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Gabriel and his cousin Ava are participating in a Bioblitz – a count not just of birds, but of all critters – not how many of each, but of how many different species are in that location. The race is on to see which team can find the most different animals and together how many different species they see. 

A long form read with 80+ species listed along with the story – it’s a bit much for an easy read. Not as engaging as Bird Count, because the sheer number of species named and pictured is overwhelming. Kids will only access this if it is read to them, and I’m not sure why a teacher would. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

I’ll Take Care of You by Maria Loretta Giraldo and Nicoletta Bertelle - OPTIONAL

I’ll Take Care of You by Maria Loretta Giraldo, illustrated by Nicoletta Bertelle. PICTURE BOOK. Blue Dot Kids Press, 2022. $19. 9781737603238

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A tiny seed is taken care of by Earth, Water, and Sky. It becomes a tree who then takes care of a bird and its baby. When the tree’s apple seed falls on rocky ground, the bird finds it and carries it to good ground where the circle of life begins again. 

There are many books about seeds that appeal to my grandchildren and myself much more than this story. It is told in a simple style with simple illustrations. The appealing part is that it tells the circle of life of a seed clearly.

MOMMMAC 

The Poem Forest by Carrie Fountain and Chris Turnham - OPTIONAL

The Poem Forest: Poet W.S. Merwin and the Palm Tree Forest He Grew from Scratch by Carrie Fountain, illustrated by Chris Turnham. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2022. $19. 9781536211269

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (4-6) – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Fountain details the life of poet and ecologist W.S. Merwin, who by the end of his life had planted over 3,000 palm trees on his Hawaiian property, later turned into a nature conservatory.

I loved reading William Stanley’s story. I didn’t know that much about him, so I felt like the book did a great job of providing background, while also connecting his love of poetry and nature together in a lyrical, beautiful way. I don’t know what elementary kid is going to be super into a book about a Poet Laureate, however I also could see it being used in a science class to introduce a conservation project.

Kiera, BookswithBeddes

Fox Explores the Night by Martin Jenkins and Richard Smythe - ADVISABLE

Fox Explores the Night by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Richard Smythe. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2022. $9. 9781536227765

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Watch how the science of light plays throughout the story as we follow along with Fox as she explores her environment and sources something to eat for the night. 

This is a really cute picture book that would be perfect for introducing little scientists to the study of animals and the patterns of light in the physical world.

Kiera, BookswithBeddes

The Science of Light: Things that Shine, Flash, and Glow by Margaret Peot - OPTIONAL

The Science of Light: Things that Shine, Flash, and Glow by Margaret Peot, illustrated by the author. PICTURE BOOK. Holiday House, 2022. $19. 9780823448722

BUYING ADVISORY: EL  – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Peot's nonfiction picture book features fourteen illustrations that introduce children to the science of light, both artificial and natural. 

The picture book is fairly simple, however, I appreciated the breadth in light sources from celestial to animal and the cover glows in the dark! This could be a great text to introduce a science unit or work into an elementary ELA lesson on adjectives.

Kiera, BookswithBeddes