The Very True Legend of Mongolian Death Worms by Sandra Fay - ADVISABLE

The Very True Legend of Mongolian Death Worms by Sandra Fay PICTURE BOOK MacMillan Kids, 2022 $19.00 9781250776082 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Mongolian Deathworms are terrifying and deadly. With sharp fangs, red skin, poisonous venom and electric shocks, it's a good thing they are only legendary. But wait . . . they don't think they are, in fact, they are a nice family who just want to be friends with everyone. But they look so scary, everyone runs when they see them. They decide to wear name tags to appear more friendly, and snazzy outfits don't help either. Even making some fun snacks and inviting the local animals over doesn't work. But when a sudden rainstorm floods the desert, the Mongolian Deathworms demonstrate their super power - finally a way to make friends! 

Ok, I should have known from the title that this wasn't non-fiction. Fay totally had me until they introduced them as a family with names. Funny and a bit creepy, I think kids will have a lot of fun with this title. A great book about being yourself and celebrating your differences. It was super cool to see in the author's note that there really is a legend about Mongolian Deathworms. 

Lisa Librarian

Broadway Bird by Alex Timbers, illustrated by Alisa Coburn - ESSENTIAL

Broadway Bird by Alex Timbers, illustrated by Alisa Coburn. PICTURE BOOK Feiwel and Friends, May 2022. $19. 9781250784575 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE GIFT - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Louisa Parakeet wants to be a big Broadway star. Her biggest challenge is she's so small. She's a parakeet, and while she can sing her heart out and has huge hopes and dream, the casting agents just aren't interested. Until she sees Iguana Menzel in the Weasel of Oz. Then she knows, she just needs to be bigger! Bigger singing, bigger dancing, bigger talent. Now she'll get noticed. 

Alright - this is a very cute story about working hard to make your dreams come true, but the real gem is all the funny Broadway references shifted slightly to be about animals. The end papers . . . shows like Sweeney Toad and Mean Gulls - Broadway fans are going to love all the nods to popular shows and stars (Patty LuPony, Otter McDonald!) And the bios at the back, like the book was a playbill. I give Broadway Bird a standing ovation.

Lisa Librarian

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise - ADVISABLE

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise. PICTURE BOOK. Christy Ottaviano Books (Little Brown), MARCH, 2022. $18. 9780316310628

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The little Owl is determined to become a knight. When knights start disappearing from the castle, he gets his wish and excels in his lessons, even though he is the smallest. His first job is night knight watch – where he realizes why the knights have been disappearing, and also comes up with a clever resolution.

Denise’s artistic style is a great old-fashioned illustrative look – perfect for a castle-based story. The owl is so earnest, you won’t mind that he is totally the wrong size – especially when he proves how clever he is.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

If You Miss Me by Jocelyn Li Langrand - ESSENTIAL

If You Miss Me by Jocelyn Li Langrand. PICTURE BOOK. Orchard Books, 2021. $19. 9781338680690

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Charlie loves to dance. She is especially happy if her grandma can watch her dance. She is close to her grandma and grandma loves to watch Charlie dance. When Charlie moves to the city with her parents she really misses her grandma. Grandma tells her that when she misses her, look at the moon because the same moon shines down on both of them. She tells Charlie that the moon will remind her that grandma watches over and miss Charlie too. After Charlie moves to the city with her family, they have a really hard winter. Charlie keeps dancing, but it isn't the same when grandma isn't there. Grandma says she will come for the next recital. Then the unexpected happens and grandma dies.

A wonderful story. I loved the story about families, love, loss and grief. Even when things are hard and a loved one is gone we always have our memories. Grandma's wisdom helped Charlie. She remembered what grandma said about the moon and realized that even if they were apart they still had a connection. The story is very comforting and might help children cope with grief. The art in the book is beautiful and very expressive. The illustrations are like moments in time. The children I read this book to, loved it and we had some good discussions and very positive comments.

Ellen-Anita, LMS 

The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore - ESSENTIAL

The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt, illustrated by Alex Willmore. PICTURE BOOK. Aladdin (Simon), 2019. $18. 9781534490147

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Dinner is served and a pea on a plate decides to escape. He has all kinds of fun and scary adventures before he finally lands under the fridge. There are some other pieces of escaped food there and the pea quickly realizes he wants to back on the plate. Life does not always go the way you want and the runaway pea finds that out when it is swept up and dumped outside. In the soft dirt things start to happen to him, like sprouting roots and shoots on top.

The colorful, fun illustrations follow the story and shows a lot of emotion and motion. The writing is fun and has a lot of rhythm. The rhyming verse makes for a fun read. I am sure little ones would love to have this book read to them over and over. They would want to hear what can happen to your food if you take your eyes off it. Maybe your food will escape!

Ellen-Anita, LMS 

Chicken Chickens by Valeri Gorbachev - ADVISABLE

Chicken Chickens by Valeri Gorbachev. PICTURE BOOK. North South, 2021. $18. 9780735844629

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Little chickens go to the playground for the first time. The playground is scary and noisy and big. Animals much bigger than them are playing on all the playground equipment. The little chickens are too scared to try. Then they see animals smaller than themselves playing. Will they be brave enough to try?

I liked all the pictures and how they go really well with the written story. Sometimes we have to try new things, even if we are scared at first. We need to face our fears and that is what the chickens finally do. A most delightful story. This is a great read aloud for preschoolers and early elementary aged children. I think that having heard this story children would like to hear it over and over and they would even look through the book on their own. I highly recommend this cute book.

Ellen-Anita, LMS 

Lucky by Christy Mandin - ADVISABLE

Lucky by Christy Mandin. PICTURE BOOK. Harper, MAY 2022. $18. 9780063047341

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Lucky, a pearl, is okay with being alone in the sea, but not so happy when her home is ruined by garbage falling from above. One her way to find a new home, she meets a jellyfish who is looking for a friend. In her obsession with finding the perfect home, she almost misses the thing she is really searching for. 

Wonderful illustrations – they are luminescent, like oyster shells. Kids will be entertained picking out the things that don’t belong in the sea and be glad when Lucky finally realizes what she really is looking for.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

The Mole and the Hole by Brayden Kowalczuk - NO

The Mole and the Hole by Brayden Kowalczuk. PICTURE BOOK. Quarto, 2021. $18. 9780711262645

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - NOT RECOMMENDED

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Mole just wants to be able to go in his hole and dig and then come back out to enjoy the day and do his business. The rocks, however, don’t want him above ground and will do their best to make sure he remains underground.

I don’t know if the rocks are the bad neighbors or that mole is – none of them seem like people I want to hang out with – the rocks are mean and mole is clueless. It may show what a bad neighbor is, but it doesn’t show what a good neighbor is. It feels like several pages are missing. I have to admit, kids will enjoy seeing Mole do his “business”.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Goodbye, Old House by Margaret Wild and Ann James - OPTIONAL

Goodbye, Old House by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Ann James. PICTURE BOOK. Blue Dot, 2021. $18. 9781736226452

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A child is moving and goes around the house saying goodbye to each room inside and all the things outside. When he gets to the new home he explains how this is the first time he walks through this door, pets this cat and many other things.

Illustrations are mostly black and white line drawings with splashes of color of what he is looking at or sitting on. The book is about a child moving and appreciating the new place they move into. He is not sad to move, but seems to know that the change is good and just part of life. The third graders thought it would have been more fun with better illustrations and more color.

Ellen-Anita, LMS 

Theo Thesaurus The Dinosaur Who Loved Big Words by Shelli R. Johannes and Mike Moran - ESSENTIAL

Theo Thesaurus The Dinosaur Who Loved Big Words by Shelli R. Johannes, illustrated by Mike Moran. PICTURE BOOK. Philomel (Penguin), 2021. $18. 9780593205518

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Theo is a little dinosaur who loves big words. They are often words his playmates have never heard before. Him using such big words causes some confusion and misunderstanding. Even when he invited friends to his birthday party they do not understand what he means. Will any body even come to his party?

Adorable story and delightful pictures. I read this cute book to a class of third graders. They loved it and thought that every elementary library should have a copy of this book. They loved the illustrations and the big words. I was surprised at how many of them knew the meaning of a lot of the words. Definitely a "must read" book. I loved it!

Ellen-Anita, LMS 

Oona and the Shark by Kelly DiPucchio and Raissa Figueroa - ADVISABLE

Oona and the Shark by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa. PICTURE BOOK. Katherine Tegen (Harper), 2022. $18. 9780063071421 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Oona is quite busy trying to impress a new shark in town. Everything she does is loud and busy, until she finally realizes that the shark needs a different kind of friendship. Oona has the most fabulous hair of any mermaid! This time she is very, very busy trying to court that shark – so the illustrations are also much busier, with so many things to look at. Another good message book about the nature of friendship. Oona is Black. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Sharky McShark and the Teensy Wee Crab by Alison Murray - ADVISABLE

Sharky McShark and the Teensy Wee Crab by Alison Murray. PICTURE BOOK. Orchard Books (Scholastic), 2020. $18. 9781408358283 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Sharky feels like he rules the ocean – step out of his way everyone! Even the Teensy wee crab who bobs his nose is not below his scorn. When Sharky gets into a huge problem, however, it is that crab who can teach Sharky about the value of friendship. 

A nice modern remix of Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse. I’m not fond of the “McShark” moniker, but I can’t resist the bright colors and the teensy crab. Sharky’s moment of revelation is a bit heavy handed, but I don’t think kids will overthink the message. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS