The Water Princess Builds a Well by Susan Verde, Georgie Badiel and Peter H. Reynolds - ADVISABLE

The Water Princess Builds a Well by Susan Verde, Georgie Badiel and Peter H. Reynolds. PICTURE BOOK. Putnam (Penguin), 2026. $19. 

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

“Princess” Gie Gie has grown up and had experiences that have taken her all over the world.  But, she still dreams about finding a way to help the women in her home African village to have better access to water. 

It has been 10 years since the first Water Princess picture book. Verde brings Georgie Badiel’s story full circle and gives us back matter about Georgie’s foundation which works to bring clean water to villages just like hers. It has been a long time since I read the first picture book; I am glad for the continuation of Georgie’s story. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Magic Bedtime Train Ride illustrated by Lauren Degraaf - OPTIONAL

The Magic Bedtime Train Ride illustrated by Lauren Degraaf. PICTURE BOOK. Frances Lincoln (Quarto), 2026. $25. 9781805703273

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

The music is dreamy as the train rides through the night to take its passengers to Dreamland.

I don’t understand the order of the pages. It starts with the passengers snuggling into bed, but as they get closer to Dreamland they start eating and dancing - the opposite of what you should do to get ready to go to sleep. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Small Monster, Big Monster by Allan Sanders - ADVISABLE

Small Monster, Big Monster by Allan Sanders. BOARD BOOK. Phaidon, 2026. $10. 9781837292110

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

Subtitle: A Seriously Silly Book of Opposites. Bright and colorful illustrations of a variety of colorful monsters include lots of background details. Little friends will have a great time looking over each spread and checking out the opposites. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Party Time! With Avocadosaurus and Friends by Hey Bear Sensory - OPTIONAL

Party Time! With Avocadosaurus and Friends by Hey Bear Sensory. BOARD BOOK. OddDot (Macmillan), 2026. $12. 9781250390738

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Join Avocado, Pineapple and others of the Party Time crew.

Since I have a pdf copy of the book to review, I can’t speak to the promised textures and sliders.  I do know that my grandson loved having this Youtube channel on in the background when he was under 1, but now that he is two, he doesn’t watch it any more. So the appropriate time for this book is very short. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Buddy System by Sam Wedelich - ADVISABLE

The Buddy System by Sam Wedelich. PICTURE BOOK. Knopf (Random House), 2026. $19. 9780593906019

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

The class is on their way to the museum and everyone has been assigned a buddy.  But what if your buddy doesn’t want to be with you?

Wedelich gives us a look into the intricacies of being assigned a buddy. While I wouldn’t advocate for kazoos in museums, I do like the interplay between the two buddies. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Wake Up, Poppyville! by Vikki Chu - OPTIONAL

Wake Up, Poppyville! by Vikki Chu. PICTURE BOOK. Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), 2026. $19. 9798217124794

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

Two travelers arrive in Poppyville, a town where midnight is morning, milk is blueberry flavored, and the residents are wonderfully strange. It's the grand opening of Delilah's toy shop and everyone is going.

Wake Up, Poppyville!  is a quirky tale with not much direction or storyline.  I did enjoy the imaginative characters and objects, and the unique art style of cut paper and limited palette.

PGPowers

Home Builder Hazel by Linda Ashman and Nancy Carpenter - ADVISABLE

Home Builder Hazel by Linda Ashman and Nancy Carpenter. PICTURE BOOK. Astra Publishing House, 2026. $19. 9781662620829.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL (4-6) – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

What does it take to build a home from scratch? Follow along with Home Builder Hazel as she leads her construction crew over several months building a home from the ground up with this rhyming picture book.

Can I just say that I love that this book featured a woman leading a construction crew? The informational material in the back featured some statistics of women in the construction field nationwide in the U.S., as well as some construction specific vocabulary. I also really liked that the construction crew faced different problems (as happens any time you build anything) and Hazel always had an uplifting problem-solving approach: “We’ll figure it out…We always do!”

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

Through the Telescope: Mae Jemison Dreams of Space by Charles R. Smith Jr. and Evening Monteiro. - ADVISABLE

Through the Telescope: Mae Jemison Dreams of Space by Charles R. Smith Jr. and Evening Monteiro. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Orchard Books (Scholastic), 2025. $14. 9781338815290

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

As a girl, Mae Jemison was always fascinated with space.  :She would spend a lot of time looking through her telescope and In 1992, she was the first black female astronaut to travel to space.  While teaching some space facts, Through the Telescope leads us on a beautiful journey through space.

Through the Telescope is an enjoyable picture book.  With stunning pictures and just a few sentences per page, Mae's love of space is brought to life.  I liked that throughout the book Mae's clothing kept changing to look more and more like a space suit.  Facts about Mae's life can be found in the back.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

Duck the Halls by Laura Lavoie and Teresa Martinez - OPTIONAL

Duck the Halls by Laura Lavoie and Teresa Martinez. PICTURE BOOK. Doubleday (Random House), 2026. $19. 9798217117604

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

The animals and humans on the street are decorating for Christmas, but Chicken is sick and needs some cheer.  All of the neighborhood bands together to help their neighbor in need.

While I understand that this is part of a series about Duck, Duck, and Goose, the combination of humans and anthropomorphic animals seems an odd mix, when the book could have easily had just humans in it spreading cheer. Especially because the action seems to take place in a very human neighborhood, not on a farm. The rhyming text was okay, but i’m not a big fan of constant rhyming in read alouds. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

What does Santa Want for Christmas? by Sahar Shams - OPTIONAL

What does Santa Want for Christmas? by Sahar Shams. PICTURE BOOK. Random House, 2026. $19. 9798217031085

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Young Dorim decides that he is going to ask Santa what he wants for Christmas. When he gets an answer, he and his dog brainstorm some ideas until they hit upon what they believe to be the perfect solution.

I tried to channel my inner 5-8 year old to understand and appreciate Dorim’s gift idea, but I just couldn’t do it.  I don’t get it.  Which is incredibly sad, because I really like the illustrations,  

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Merry Christmas, Sleepy Sheepy! by Lucy Ruth Cummins, and Pete Oswald - OPTIONAL

Merry Christmas, Sleepy Sheepy! by Lucy Ruth Cummins, and Pete Oswald. PICTURE BOOK. Flamingo (Penguin), 2026. $15. 9798217041039

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

The oldest sheep of three is determined to stay up and see Santa Claus. 

Told in the rhythm of The Night Before Christmas, but breaks sometimes in odd ways.  I really like SHeep’s antics, but I do not like having to sing when I read along. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Rebecca by Kate Beaton and Sydney Smith - OPTIONAL

Rebecca by Kate Beaton and Sydney Smith. PICTURE BOOK. Roaring Brook (Macmillan), 2026. $26. 9781250349019

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Rebecca, her husband, and their children live alone on an island where they work hard to grow and make the things that they need. When disaster strikes, Rebecca and the children must continue on. 

Based on the true history of the author’s family.  Rebecca is still a name passed on. An ode to Sorrow. While the illustrations and the sentiment are beautiful, it is not a book that children are going to choose over and over again on their own. And how much does a child who is grieving want to read a book about someone else’s grief?

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Sparrow’s Blue Christmas by Roger Hutchinson and Ag Jatkowska. - ADVISABLE

Sparrow’s Blue Christmas by Roger Hutchinson and Ag Jatkowska. PICTURE BOOK. Beaming Books, 2026. $19. 9798889834816

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

APPEALS TO: SOME

Sparrow is ready to start the Christmas celebrations, but none of his other forest friends seem interested in celebrating. Maybe Sparrow can help make room for sadness at Christmas too. 

Not gonna lie - I found myself tearing up as I thought of the things that I miss at Christmas too. While children may not understand in a way they can express, they too can feel when those around them are not feeling the joy everyone keeps telling them they should feel.  Just lovely.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Farm Next Door by Kelly Rice Schmitt and Charles Santoso - OPTIONAL

The Farm Next Door by Kelly Rice Schmitt and Charles Santoso. PICTURE BOOK. Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), 2026. $19. 9780593703670

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Farmer Fran is a busy little bunny working hard on her farm. Then disaster strikes in the form of a giant storm. Farmer Fran doesn't know how to rebuild, but her friends and customers do. They host a community fundraiser which leads to an even better farm than before.

Schmitt introduces us  to economics for young children. Farmer Fran sells her produce and uses the profit to buy what she needs. The back of the book has a short glossary, explanation, and discussion questions. A great addition to any elementary unit on money. Animal characters

Janae S., Reading Teacher

Sunrise Sail by Charles Trevino and Maribel Lechuga - ADVISABLE

Sunrise Sail by Charles Trevino and Maribel Lechuga. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2026. $18. 9781623546151

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

A boy and his grandfather set sail for an early morning sail and an all day adventure.

The author only uses words starting with “S”, so each page only has a few words on it. The story isn’t really about the sailing, but about the adventure of the whole day. Do I believe that the dog could accomplish what it did? No - but I won’t give it away. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Safari Animals by Gideon Sterer and Marcos Farina - OPTIONAL

Safari Animals by Gideon Sterer and Marcos Farina. BOARD BOOK. Grosset & Dunlap (Penguin), 2026. $10. 9780593753583

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

As the reader turns each page, more of three animals appear in turn.

I would have liked fewer pages per animal and more animals, please!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Under the Clam Moon by Kaitlyn Wells and Mariyah Rahman. - OPTIONAL

Under the Clam Moon by Kaitlyn Wells and Mariyah Rahman. PICTURE BOOK. Roaring Brook (Macmillan), 2026. $19. 9781250341198

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

A little girl and her uncle are looking for clams along the beach while her mother and little brother wait by a fire for the feast.

The idea of clamming at night is fun, but the girl and her uncle have only one clam for their work, which is very disappointing to me. Also, in the back matter, whoever wrote it uses the word “eatable” instead of “edible” - why? As pretty as Rahman’s illustrations are, I would have enjoyed watching a more successful clamming, rather than watch the girl make mistake after mistake.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Vlad is Mad by Su Moon - OPTIONAL

Vlad is Mad by Su Moon. PICTURE BOOK. Balzer + Bray (Macmillan), 2026. $26. 9781250436450

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Vlad is mad and he is taking out on everything around the castle. WIth intervention and some time to be still and breathe, Vlad turns his mood around.

Moon’s book seems ready-made to be a board book. Simple illustrations, a couple of words on each page. Vlad’s mood is turned around with a little bit of deep-breathing, no complicated or detailed explanations here. Not really a Halloween book, despite the vampire characters.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Who Knows the Way to Mr. Grimly's Classroom? by Chris Priestley and Mariachiara Di Giorgio - OPTIONAL

Who Knows the Way to Mr. Grimly's Classroom? by Chris Priestley and Mariachiara Di Giorgio. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2026. $19. 9781536245011.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (4-6) – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

Grace is a new student at a spooky new school. She volunteers to return a book to Mr. Grimly’s classroom, despite not knowing her way around the building. What can happen en route? More than you’d think…

I did not love this book as much as other reviewers I’ve seen online. It was fine. But I just didn’t get the spooky vibe and I wanted it to make more sense. If it’s a magic school, that should be more clear. If it’s not a magic school, then half of the stuff that happened to Grace shouldn’t be possible. I guess I just wasn’t a fan of the ambiguity and overall mood of the book. It is very similar to Chris Van Allsburg’s works, just not as well done in my opinion.  

Kiera, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes

Landing in a New Pond by Marisa Ramel and Jennifer Doehring - OPTIONAL

Landing in a New Pond by Marisa Ramel and Jennifer Doehring. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2026. $18. 9781623545680

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

A young boy and his family have moved to a new town. The only friends he’s made so far are the ducks at his local pond.  He is very attached to the ducks and when they fly away for the winter, he struggles to accept the change. 

You can tell that the boy is very invested in the ducks - naming them and caring for them. The message is a mild one about letting go.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS