Kitties on Dinosaurs by Michael Slack - OPTIONAL

Kitties on Dinosaurs by Michael Slack,  PICTURE BOOK Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House), 2020. $18. 978593108383 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

3 little kittens who enjoy climbing are determined to climb the dinosaurs on Dinosaur Island. They build a submarine/invention lab and try one unsuccessful plan after another, eventually, success! But, it is short lived. 

Such a silly pairing - kittens and dinosaurs. I liked the different ideas for climbing the Dinos, and the hilarious illustrations - suburb - however, I didn't love the narrator as commentator, a bit unnecessary as the characters don't respond anyway, and the darling illustrations tell the story just fine.

Lisa Librarian

Charcoal Boys by Roger Mello - OPTIONAL

Charcoal Boys by Roger Mello, PICTURE BOOK Elsewhere Editions 2019, $20. 9781939810199 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

Two boys are in a charcoal yard, also there's a hornet with a nest and an egg that is apparently hungry. One night the boys are talking, one is smoking, they seem to argue over the cigarette and a fire starts. The next morning they are hiding on top of the big charcoal truck, one gets down but the other stays hidden and the truck leaves. The boy travels all day to where they make steel and he loses a key the other boy put in a box. 

Charcoal Boys is about child labor in the charcoal mines of Brazil. Paper cut illustrations in blacks and grays (mostly) help tell this text heavy, detail light story. The narrator is the hornet. Mello has left a lot of holes, inviting his reader to fill in the gaps with their imagination. I would need a lot more context to connect with Charcoal Boys. It would be a hard sell, even to the middle school kids.

Lisa Librarian

Awesome Man: The Mystery Intruder by Michael Chaob and Jake Parker - ESSENTIAL

Awesome Man: The Mystery Intruder by Michael Chabon, illustrated by Jake Parker. PICTURE BOOK. Quill Tree (Harper), 2020. $19. 9780062875099 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Awesome Man hears that a new superhero is coming to town and he is worried. Maybe the people of Awesome Town will like the new hero better and forget his birthday. Then Sister Sinister traps him in his lair with the news the new hero has arrived. 

I haven’t read the first Awesome Man – if you haven’t either, I don’t want to give away the twist. If you are already in on the twist, you will like the new surpehero’s arrival just as much! 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

When the Earth Shook by Lisa Lucas and Laurie Stein - OPTIONAL

When the Earth Shook by Lisa Lucas, illustrated by Laurie Stein. PICTURE BOOK. Tilbury, 2020. $18. 9780884488088 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

Two stars, Alya and Atik try very hard to shine to give light to the earth, but as the pollution builds up and the climate changes, it becomes so hard for them to do their job, that the stars get so angry that their cries shake the earth. 

I get that the author is trying to bring attention to the global climate crisis, but this is so abstract (a king? Not that many modern countries have kings) that it will just raise more questions. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Go Home, Little One! by Cate James - OPTIONAL

Go Home, Little One! by Cate James, PICTURE BOOK. Little Bee Books (Bonnier), 2015. $17. 9781499801712

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A young hedgehog and her two squirrel friends run into the woods to play hide and seek, ignoring the other forest creatures' warnings that they must hurry home to hibernate instead. When a fox shows up, they suddenly realize how foolish they've been. Can they make it home before they become a feast for the hungry fox?

The colorful illustrations are pretty, but the plot itself is lacking in depth. The characters' only goal seems to be to keep playing despite everyone in the entire forest telling them to go home. And then, finally... they go home. Humor, surprise, stronger goals, or a less anti-climactic ending may have made Go Home, Little One! less forgettable. Unfortunately, none of those things were apparent.

Sydney G., Elementary Library Media Specialist

Maud and Grand Maud by Sara O'Leary, and Kenard Pak - ADVISABLE

Maud and Grand Maud by Sara O'Leary, illustrated by Kenard Pak, PICTURE BOOK Penguin Random House, 2020. $18. 978039955482 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

On special Saturdays, Maud gets to visit her grandmother "Grand-Maud" and stay the night. They wear matching nightgowns, have breakfast for dinner and watch black and white movies on TV. Maud likes to imagine Grand-Maud as a little girl and loves the time they spend together. Maybe someday she will be Grand-Maud waiting for her own Maud to visit. 

Oh! I love Maud and Grand-Maud! The illustrations are great. I loved comparing them to see where they look alike. I'm so excited to share this with my grand-daughter - already planning the matching nightgowns. There are endless possibilities involved with the box kept under the bed.

Lisa Librarian

Thesaurus has a Secret by Anya Glazer - OPTIONAL

Thesaurus has a Secret by Anya Glazer. PICTURE BOOK. Katherine Tegen, (Harper), 2020. $18. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

Thesaurus is not the same as the other dinosaurs – he has a love of words, but he also has an ultra-secret love of books! He makes up all kinds of excuses to find alone time, but one day he gets caught and now he’s worried that the other dinosaurs may be mad at him. 

I was definitely puzzled by how a dinosaur would get his hands on “The Wizard of Oz”, but I also didn’t like the scruffy illustrations. If you want a book on the same theme – stick with the original – Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

My Jolly Christmas by Mariana Herrera and Molly Fehr - OPTIONAL

My Jolly Christmas by Mariana Herrera, illustrated by Molly Fehr. BOARD BOOK. Harper, 2020. $8. 9780062915993 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Herrara’s cute little shaped board book is a simple celebration of the Christmas season. 

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Journey by Emma Bland Smith and Robin James - ADVISABLE

Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West by Emma Bland Smith and Robin James, PICTURE BOOK Little Bigfoot, 2016. $18. 9781632170651 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A young wolf leaves his pack and covers nearly 2,000 miles of Oregon and California in search of a mate and a place to call home. A year into his journey, a young girl named Abby begins to follow his story, through newspaper articles, television news and the internet. She even sends a suggestion to a conservation group to name the wolf Journey. 

I liked the alternating viewpoints; Smith has been able to introduce conservation into the story through Ally's perspective. Robin James illustrations are beautiful! Includes a map, photos of Journey and his pups, a timeline and URLs for further reading.

Lisa Librarian

Baby Loves Democracy! By Ruth Spiro and Greg Paprocki - ADVISABLE

Baby Loves Democracy! by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Greg Paprocki. BOARD BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2020. $8. 9781623542276 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Spiro looks at a baby-sized view of democracy. 

 I have a hard time seeing this being used more for a young elementary class rather than for pre-schoolers. The information is clear and concise – just right for a first democracy lesson. Share this to grow understanding about elections. Also, I love Paprocki - you should check out the ABC books he writes!

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

FYI: I shared this with a friend who teaches 1st grade.  She was very sad that the main character is called "baby" because she would love to use this with her students.  She will, but she will replace the word baby with a name.

I Don’t Want to Eat my Dinner by David Cornish - ADVISABLE

I Don’t Want to Eat my Dinner by David Cornish. PICTURE BOOK. Harper, 2020. $7. 9780732298777 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

 As a little boy suffers through eating a vegetable heavy dinner, his imagination kicks in gear to help him through. 

When I first spied the tiny tomato firemen, I burst out with a guffaw! The imaginings parts of the book are hilarious! I love the idea of many of the illustrations, but I don’t always love the execution of them. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Rollo's Many Coats by Reed Duncan, illustrated by Keith Frawley - ADVISABLE

Rollo's Many Coats by Reed Duncan, illustrated by Keith Frawley, PICTURE BOOK Penguin Workshop (Penguin Random House), 2020. $10. 9781524792497 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Rollo is a bulldog - with so many coats! He tries each one on to try to find the perfect party coat. His boy keeps telling him he's wrong, and the coat he has chosen is for something other than a party. Rollo has a special coat for eating, walking, even hiding, but where is that elusive "party" coat? 

Rollo loves dressing up in his coats, and Frawley's illustrations are so very cute! Rollo's expressions are great - a early reader will love this, very silly and fun - perfect for repeated readings. All the different silly dog coats!

Lisa Librarian